USDA Staffing Crisis: Over Half of North Dakota Counties Lost Up to 60% of Local Farm Service Staff

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 26, 2026

A commentary by agriculture policy analysts highlights the impact of USDA staff reductions on North Dakota farmers, with more than half of the state's counties losing up to 60% of county-level Farm Service Agency staff since 2025. Nationally, the current administration has cut nearly 20,000 local USDA positions, with major agricultural states in the Midwest among the hardest hit. The losses are delaying critical farm assistance programs at a time of heightened financial stress for producers. While this is an opinion piece focused on agriculture, the scale of federal workforce reduction signals broader public-sector staffing contraction relevant to government and rural-sector staffing demand.