NSAC, Prospect Partners: NRCS, FSA hard hit by USDA personnel cuts

A new analysis released by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Prospect Partners LLC finds that the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency were among those hardest hit by USDA-wide staffing cuts in 2025, “leaving farmers in hundreds of counties with fewer local experts to turn to and their access to critical programs and services threatened.”

Drawing on U.S. Office of Personnel Management data and previously unpublished FSA county staffing records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the report documents the loss of roughly one in five USDA employees in a single year.

“The cuts fell heavily on the farmer-facing field staff who deliver conservation and farm programs in local communities — even as the immediate Office of the Secretary grew by 18%,” NSAC and Prospect Partners said.

The full analysis, “USDA Staffing Cuts Reduce Local Presence in Communities Nationwide,” is available by link.