NEW: Ashley Hinson Votes for USDA Cuts, Hurting Iowa Farmers
WQAD: “House Panel Advances Scaled-Back USDA Cuts, Concern Still Apparent Among Iowa Farmers”
WQAD: “[Maisah Khan, Policy and Partnership Manager at Regenerative Agriculture Foundation] Says Farmers Are Already Seeing Impacts at Local Farm Service Agency Offices, Which She Says Are Understaffed”
DES MOINES – On Thursday, Ashley Hinson voted to cut $675 million from the USDA as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations. For farmers and rural Iowa, the cuts will increase energy costs, threaten access to food at home and abroad, and leave farmers without the support they need.
The latest cuts come on top of hundreds of millions in cuts over the past year that have hollowed out grant programs and removed essential staffing, which are hurting Iowa farmers just as they begin planting their fields this spring.
“Every Iowa farmer and rural community in the state will feel the impact of these dramatic cuts that Ashley Hinson supports and voted to pass,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart. “With our ag and rural economy continuing to spiral downward, now is not the time to be gutting local FSA offices, dismantling grant programs, and destroying markets. Hinson’s vote will crush economic growth by removing millions of dollars in investments to help rural Iowa and farmers across the state.”
WQAD: House panel advances scaled-back USDA cuts, concern still apparent among Iowa farmers
- A proposed federal agriculture budget could reshape funding for Iowa farmers […]
- On Thursday, the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee advanced its FY2027 agriculture spending bill, which would reduce funding […]
- Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02) (R) supported the bill in subcommittee Thursday.
- Concerns about proposed reductions have grown following federal efficiency efforts and program changes in 2025. Many of those cuts impacted programs designed to support smaller family farms […] leaving farmers uncertain about their future.
- Khan says farmers are already seeing impacts at local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices, which she says are understaffed.
- “Those were the offices that served rural farmers, that served under-resourced farmers. They were the one-stop shop for farmers to go to our agencies to get resources, to learn about best practices,” she said.
- Access to technical assistance is also becoming more limited, she added.
- Van Buren County farmer John Whitaker said rising costs are making it harder for new farmers to get started.
- “With the price of land and the price of machinery, we’ve got to have a way to get young people started in agriculture,” Whitaker said.
- Whitaker has expressed concerns about additional cuts to statistical data and staffing used to help farmers determine pricing.
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