USDA's Staffing Cuts Detailed 12/22 14:48

   Trump Administration Dramatically Reduced USDA Staffing, OIG Report 
Highlights

   A new report from USDA's Office of Inspector General points out more than 
20,000 employees across every agency left USDA in the first half of 2025. Most 
of the job losses were through a buyout program. The cuts hit some agencies 
harder than others.

Chris Clayton
DTN Ag Policy Editor

   OMAHA (DTN) -- At least one-in-five USDA employees left their jobs in 2025, 
according to USDA Office of Inspector General report.

   The OIG report highlights some agencies shed more than one-third of their 
staff since the beginning of the Trump administration. By mid-June, USDA had 
seen total of 20,306 employees leave, the report stated.

   The OIG report only covers the first half of the year and stated USDA's 
staffing dropped from 110,384 employees to 90,078 staff by mid-June.

   A USDA report in early October detailing government shutdown plans listed 
the department's employee numbers at 85,907 staff, implying another 4,171 
employees left the department between June and October.

   In April, USDA and other federal departments gave employees the option to 
quit with six months of pay if they chose to take it. At least 15,114 USDA 
employees took the Deferred Resignation Package (DRP), the OIG report stated.

   Along with the DRP, another 1,636 USDA workers were terminated, 1,996 
resigned and 1,280 retired, according to the report.

   USDA RESPONSE

   A USDA spokesperson stated to DTN that the terminations in the OIG report 
also included "temporary employees who come to the end of their term. The 
report does not differentiate between the types of terminations and lumps them 
all together."

   USDA also commented, "Under President Trump's leadership, USDA is being 
transparent about plans to optimize and reduce our workforce and to return the 
Department to a customer service focused, farmer first agency. We have a solemn 
responsibility to be good stewards of Americans' hard-earned taxpayer dollars 
and to ensure that every dollar is being spent as effectively as possible to 
serve the people. As part of this reorientation, the Deferred Retirement 
Program (DRP), a completely voluntary tool, was used to empower employees to 
decide what is best for them."

   The comments also added that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signed a 
memorandum in April that excluded certain national security and public safety 
jobs from the federal hiring freeze as well. "USDA has not stopped hiring for 
these critical roles."

   USDA added, "President Trump is the most pro-farmer president of our 
lifetime, and through his leadership, the administration is supporting farmers 
through unprecedented international market access, lowered taxes, and 
improvements to the farm safety net in the One Big Beautiful Bill."

   DOGE'D OUT

   The OIG report looked at staffing cuts by pay period. In late April, there 
were 9,606 employees who left USDA as the department issued its DRP plans and 
expected responses by the end of March.

   Another 4,649 staff left USDA in late February through mid-March.

   All of that was during the height of Elon Musk's Department of Government 
Efficiency (DOGE) push when DOGE was canceling contracts with farmers and 
outside organizations and pressed to eliminate all probationary employees in 
the federal government.

   AGENCY STAFF CUTS

   The biggest staffing cuts came at the U.S. Forest Service, which lost 5,860 
employees, or about 16% of the total workforce.

   Rural Development took a steep cut, losing 1,745 employees, or 36% of its 
employees.

   The Farm Service Agency (FSA) had 806 people leave while FSA county offices 
lost 1,082 people out of 15,837 total staff -- reflecting a smaller percentage 
loss than other agencies.

   At the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 2,673 employees, or 
22% of staff, left the agency.

   The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) lost 2,105 employees, 
or 25% of its workforce.

   Another 1,647 employees at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), or 23%, 
also left.

   The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which is responsible 
for a steady flow of USDA data and reports, saw 275 people, or 34% of staff, 
leave the agency.

   LARGEST CUTS BY STATE

   In California, 1,268 staff, or 14%, left their jobs. In Washington, D.C., 
1,076 staff also left, representing 32% of positions. In Texas, 1,025 people 
left their positions as well, or 19% of staff. Texas had the highest number of 
job terminations of any state at 302 employees.

   Maryland, considered part of the "Capital Region," had 984 staff losses. 
Colorado had 880 USDA staff cuts while Missouri and Oregon each had more than 
700 USDA staff leave their posts.

   NSAC HIGHLIGHTS CUTS

   The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) tracked agency cuts 
and examined the department's proposed reorganization. NSAC pointed out last 
week Rural Development had been "severely hollowed out" by job cuts that ranged 
across the country. Wyoming, for instance, lost more than 60% of Rural 
Development staff while Alaska lost 57%.

   Going back to 2005, Rural Development has effectively lost half its staffing 
levels since then, NSAC pointed out.

   See, 
https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/usda-staffing-crisis-rural-development-s
taff-cuts-leave-rural-communities-behind/.

   SENATOR ON OIG REPORT

   Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., requested the OIG report in March. In a 
statement, Klobuchar said USDA is the "front door" for farmers and ranchers 
when dealing with challenges or uncertainty. Klobuchar noted her state lost 481 
employees, or 19% of staff.

   "Rural Americans need a department that is ready and capable of serving 
them. Particularly shocking is that the agencies responsible for assisting 
farmers and small towns lost a third of employees; the Forest Service lost 
nearly 6,000 employees; and the agency responsible for managing animal disease 
outbreaks lost nearly a quarter of employees," Klobuchar said. "Losing nearly 
20% of all USDA staff weakens the department's ability to respond to challenges 
facing our farmers, leaves our food supply chains more vulnerable to threats 
like New World screwworm and avian flu, and undermines efforts to drive the 
rural economy forward."

   A full copy of the report can be found at 
https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/reports/other/us-department-agriculture-staffing-l
evels.

   Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

   Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN




(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.