Farmers Struggling to Get Services from Depleted USDA Workforce

Nationwide, farmers and rural residents describe struggling to obtain the basic services USDA is meant to offer, including loans and grants, technical assistance, and financing for housing and utilities due to “skeletal staffing”.  According to the New York Times, NRCS has lost more than 2,700 workers, or nearly a quarter of its overall staff.  In a recent interview with DTN, Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden said NRCS has a map identifying staffing shortages and that the agency is working to even it out.

The agency said it plans to hire 272 NRCS employees this year, leaving it 346 short of its 9,500-employee goal, and below its 2020-25 average of 10,698, according to that DTN article.

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