NEW REPORT: USDA Loses 24,000 Workers in Previous Year, Hurting Iowa Farmers Trying to Access Critical Resources

Ashley Hinson Has Cheered on DOGE Cuts, Despite the Harmful Impact They’ve Had on the USDA and the Iowa Farmers Who Rely on USDA Resources

IPR: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture Saw Some of the Largest Workforce Reductions of Any Federal Department”

DES MOINES – A new report from Harvest Public Media shows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lost 24,000 workers in the last year, a 27 percent reduction in its workforce that is leading to longer wait times for farmers seeking federal services and programs. Nearly three-quarters of the workers who left took voluntary resignations that were pushed by Elon Musk and DOGE last year.

Ashley Hinson was an early and fierce supporter of DOGE cuts even as reports have emerged highlighting millions in losses for Iowa agricultural programs and cuts to programs that keep family farms afloat.

“Even as it became obvious that DOGE cuts were hurting Iowa farmers, Ashley Hinson doubled down on her support for massive cuts that froze loan payments, dismantled local food programs, and removed workers who help farmers,” said Iowa Democratic spokesperson Drew Myers. “Iowans want a senator who is going to fight for them – not another DC politician who keeps putting politics ahead of Iowa.”

IPR: USDA lost 24,000 workers under Trump, hurting critical resources for farmers

• The Trump administration’s federal workforce cuts shrank U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies that inspect produce, provide conservation resources and collect data on crops and livestock. It’s creating longer wait times for farmers seeking federal services and programs, people working in agriculture say.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture saw some of the largest workforce reductions of any federal department as the Trump administration set out to downsize the government over the past year.

• More than 24,000 people left the USDA since President Donald Trump took office last January, according to U.S. Office of Personnel Management data.

• The department saw a nearly 27% reduction in its workforce from September 2024 to December 2025, according to data that’s presented by fiscal year.

• The lost staffing means farmers are waiting longer for help applying for financial assistance or special project funds, said Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union.

• “If you don’t have the folks that are there to do the work that’s needed to be done – whether that’s paperwork or following up with farmers on a project that they are wanting to do – then where do those farmers go for those services?” Levendofsky said.

• Across the board, all USDA agencies saw between an 11% and 37% staff reduction.

• More than 20,000 employees left the USDA between Jan. 12, 2025 and June 14, 2025, according to a recent USDA report. Almost three-quarters of those employees took a Deferred Resignation Program agreement, allowing them to voluntarily resign and take paid leave for several months.

• The resignation agreements were introduced under the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, initiative, which sought to decrease the size of the federal workforce and find cost savings. Most employees that accepted an agreement did so between February and April 2025.

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