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Photo credit: Zoe Richardson via Unpslash

This post examines the devastating loss of experienced staff within US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and the consequences for the agency’s ability to support farmers, rural businesses, and communities. As the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) continues to track the staffing crisis across USDA, Rural Development stands out not only for the depth of its losses, but also for the ripple effects those losses create across the entire rural economy.

This post is the latest in our series documenting the widespread staffing crisis underway at USDA and the compounding impacts of the department’s proposed reorganization. Each part of this series highlights how reduced staffing and weakened capacity are undermining core USDA functions that farmers and rural communities depend on every day.

Rural Development (RD) plays a critical role in growing the …

Release: Congressional Members Reintroduce Legislation that Creates Fairer Competition, Advances Environmental Health, and Protects Workers

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408

Release: Congressional Members Reintroduce Legislation that Creates Fairer Competition, Advances Environmental Health, and Protects Workers

Washington, DC, December 15, 2025 – Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jim McGovern (D-MA-2), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-7), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Cleo Fields (D-LA-4), Jill Tokuda (D-HI-2), André Carson (D-IN-7) and Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Enabling Farmer, Foodworker, Environmental, and Climate Targets through Innovative, Values-aligned, and Equitable (EFFECTIVE) Food Procurement Act in the House. The bill offers an alternative approach to making food purchasing decisions, and a better way to spend public dollars on food.

“Every year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) spends billions on food purchases with a concentrated few

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Chaos, Collaboration, and Courage: A Look Back at 2025

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NSAC Winter Meeting 2025, Washington, DC

A Year Like No Other

As 2025 comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on a year that reshaped the food and farm policy landscape: from major disruptions in federal agencies to stalled policymaking in Washington, farmers and communities continue to feel the impacts. The historic government shutdown this fall was just the most recent situation to put our food and farm system under strain. Stable federal programs are critical for farmers and families across the country, and funding delays and terminations, shifting agency decisions, and the loss of experienced staff at USDA have created hardship for millions, especially those who already faced systemic barriers to accessing USDA programs and services.

At NSAC we are always guided by our members and the federal policy priorities we set together – this year those included …

USDA Staffing Crisis: A Year of Losses and the Road Ahead

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This is the final post in the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s series documenting the ongoing staffing crisis across the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The scale and pace of staffing losses across the USDA, combined with the uncertainty introduced by a sweeping USDA reorganization plan, have weakened the Department at the very moment farmers face rising production costs, unstable markets, and climate-driven disasters. As the series comes to an end, the data show a workforce under extreme strain and an urgent need for renewed investment in the staff that make the People’s Department function.

A Year Defined by Unprecedented Staffing Losses

Beginning in January 2025, USDA experienced historic staff losses. Nearly 3,000 employees separated from the agency in the first quarter alone, according to the Office of Personnel Management. These early losses included both career staff, …

Release: Farm Bill Extension, USDA Funding Bill Underwhelm

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net

Tel. 347.563.6408

Release: Farm Bill Extension, USDA Funding Bill Underwhelm

Washington, DC, November 10, 2025 – After weeks of uncertainty, Congress has unveiled a one-year extension of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 as well as the fiscal year (FY) 2026 agriculture appropriations bill, a package that, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) could undermine conservation efforts and limit support for family farmers.

“After weeks of uncertainty, legislation unveiled over the weekend opts to needlessly restrict farmers’ ability to reduce input costs, invest in clean water, and build healthy soil. The FY2026 agriculture appropriations bill cuts nearly $ 100 million in support for conservation technical assistance, and the proposed farm bill extension fails to extend conservation program payment limits. Taken together, these bills make it harder

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USDA Staffing Crisis: Food Safety Agencies Struggle as Federal Workforce Shrinks

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Federal food safety agencies have seen significant staff losses in 2025, threatening their ability to serve stakeholders and ensure the safety of our food supply Several federal agencies – including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – hold this responsibility. These federal agencies work with state partners to set and enforce food safety standards and help reduce the risk of foodborne illness outbreaks or the spread of disease from animals to humans. Staffing losses at the agencies, particularly inspectors and outreach professionals, threaten the safety of the US food system and the ability to serve agricultural enterprises of all types and sizes

This post continues the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) series on the federal staffing …

USDA Staffing Crisis: Legal Oversight Cuts Undermine Fairness and Accountability

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Photo credit: Adam Michael Szuscik, via Unsplash

Several offices within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide legal guidance, oversight, and accountability for actions the Department takes, and these offices have endured significant staff losses in 2025. Their work, though often invisible to the public, is essential for ensuring that USDA follows its own rules and those set by Congress. It makes the Department transparent, accountable to the public for its decisions, and ensures it treats farmers and other stakeholders fairly. The major staff losses these offices are experiencing threaten that work.

This post is the sixth in our ongoing series on the staffing crisis at USDA. It examines the massive cuts to legal oversight offices within the Department including the National Appeals Division (NAD), the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR), the Office of the …

Cross Post: The Organic Science and Research Investment Act: What It Is and How It Benefits All Farmers

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Cover crop experiment at Rogers Farm Forage and Crop Research Facility in Orono, Maine. Photo credit: Reana Kovalcik.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was written by Gordon Merrick, Policy Program Director at the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), an NSAC member and first appeared on their site here.

Ensuring that there are sufficient research resources for organic producers is central to OFRF’s mission and represents the backbone of a resilient food system. That’s why we’re proud to announce that we have led the development of a letter urging Congress to include the Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act in the next Farm Bill, just introduced this month by Representatives Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17). This bill provides substantial support and funding for agricultural research programming that benefits all farmers, from those certified organic, transitioning to organic …

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USDA Staffing Crisis: Rural Development Staff Cuts Leave Rural Communities Behind

Release: Congressional Members Reintroduce Legislation that Creates Fairer Competition, Advances Environmental Health, and Protects Workers

Release: Congressional Members Reintroduce Legislation that Creates Fairer Competition, Advances Environmental Health, and Protects Workers

Chaos, Collaboration, and Courage: A Look Back at 2025

A Year Like No Other

USDA Staffing Crisis: A Year of Losses and the Road Ahead

A Year Defined by Unprecedented Staffing Losses

Release: Farm Bill Extension, USDA Funding Bill Underwhelm

Release: Farm Bill Extension, USDA Funding Bill Underwhelm

USDA Staffing Crisis: Food Safety Agencies Struggle as Federal Workforce Shrinks

USDA Staffing Crisis: Legal Oversight Cuts Undermine Fairness and Accountability

Cross Post: The Organic Science and Research Investment Act: What It Is and How It Benefits All Farmers