Updates on Federal Resources for Farmers

Updates on Federal Resources for Farmers

Guidance for Navigating USDA Changes

Page Updated: April 17, 2025

For decades, farmers and their communities have partnered closely with the federal government through public institutions like the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to grow the food we eat while protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. In return, those public institutions provide vital access to capital, insurance, funding, disaster support, and technical assistance that farmers have long relied on to keep their farms innovating in good times and surviving in bad times.

Please see the links below for flow charts to help guide farmers who may be looking for guidance on what to do next with their USDA program(s).

  • If you have applied for NRCS assistance or signed an NRCS conservation contract, there are actions you should take now. We’ve created a flowchart to help you understand your ability to get a new contract or successfully receive payments for conservation practices completed in 2025 and beyond.
  • If you have FSA loans, participate in FSA programs, or have pending agreements or applications submitted to FSA, you should understand how to stay engaged with your FSA office. RAFI’s flowchart can guide you in obtaining status updates on your FSA agreements or applications.
NRCS Help click here
FSA help click here

The Current Situation

Farm communities’ ability to rely on public resources is now crumbling as the Trump Administration directs sweeping cuts and freezes of federal funding and staff positions. Some examples of how your farm could be impacted may include:

  • Being denied reimbursement for money you have spent to fulfill a conservation contract with NRCS or being informed that your conservation contract has been frozen or put “on pause.”
  • A project you are participating in through an agricultural nonprofit has been paused, or funding you had planned to access through that program is no longer available.
  • Your local FSA/NRCS service center is unresponsive or limited in its ability to provide you adequate service, and you suspect that they are understaffed or lacking in appropriate capacity.
  • FSA or NRCS employees you have a relationship with have been terminated or reported to you terminations of their coworkers, impacting the quality of service you receive or even disrupting plans you made with USDA.

Share your Story

RAFI is speaking up to policymakers about the importance of public resources for farmers, and we’d love you to join us! 

By completing this form, you can share information with us about any negative impacts you are experiencing related to federal funding freezes, cuts, or staff layoffs. We’ll combine that information with more from many other farmers and share those collective impacts with key policymakers. Beyond that, we’d love to work with you to make sure your story is heard by your own members of Congress or even the public through engagement with media outlets. If any of those options sound right for you, let us know by filling out this form. A RAFI staff member will follow up to connect you with opportunities. 

The information you provide to RAFI via this form will be kept confidential and used to inform aggregate data stories on the county, congressional district, and state levels to inform policymakers about the current impacts farmers are experiencing. If you indicate interest in engaging in additional actions, RAFI staff will reach out to you to explore further collaboration. RAFI will never pressure you to engage in any action you are not enthusiastic about.

If you’re not ready to complete the form or do not have an active contract or involvement with USDA, please join our Policy Action Network to be informed of ongoing actions you can take to make your voice heard.

Impacts on Farmers

To ensure clarity amid ongoing updates, we have included dates alongside the guidance on this page.

DateUpdate
April 17, 2025A federal judge ordered the USDA to release frozen funds allocated to farmers that were tied to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 
April 15, 2025White House Budget plan proposes local FSA and NRCS office closures. The proposed cuts come as USDA is planning to gut its Washington headquarters, consolidate mission areas and administrative functions, and relocate some staff to new “hubs” around the country. 
April 13, 2025USDA announced the cancellation of the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities program, terminating many projects and renaming it the Advancing Markets for Producers initiative. 
April 2, 2025NSAC’s Blog post, USDA Programs Freeze: What We Know provides a detailed lens into the impacts of nearly $4.8 billion in USDA funding freeze/ terminations on a national and state level.
March 24, 2025PBS News Hour: How Trump’s funding freeze is affecting American farmers highlights how farmer Scott Munro’s operation is in limbo due to the federal funding freeze like many other farmers.
March 20, 2025The defector interviewed a Fire USDA specialist, Katie Wheeler. Katie worked with a team of 14 people serving any school operating the National School Lunch Program across seven regions in Utah. This was before being impacted the mass layoffs directed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
March 19, 2025The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)  took legal action in federal court against the Trump administration. Filed a suit on behalf of 19 nonprofits and cities across the nation that have been impacted by the freeze on their binding agreements with the federal government.
March 14, 2025Testimonials: Grant and Loan Recipients & Researchers impacted by federal cuts

The goal of the Federal Cuts Tracker Map Project is to better inform the public about the impact firings, withdrawals of funding, and terminations of programs may have on everyday Americans. To do this, we must humanize the impacts of these changes on federal workers and those reliant on federal funding or programs.
March 13, 2025 USDA faces lawsuits and congressional action over funding freeze and cancellations. Earthjustice sued the USDA on behalf of five farms and three nonprofit organizations over freezing IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) funds.
March 11, 2025The USDA published a press release stating that the agency will place all terminated probationary employees in pay status and provide back pay to the employees from the date of termination onward.
March 10, 2025USDA canceled fiscal year 2025 funding for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), totaling one billion dollars in lost support. These agreements helped schools, food banks, and other nonprofits purchase food from local farms and ranchers.
March 5, 2025Cathy Harris of the Merit System Protection Board ordered the USDA to temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 federal workers who lost their jobs as part of the Trump administration’s federal workforce layoffs.  The USDA has been ordered to reinstate employment for probationary employees for 45 days while a challenge to the terminations unfolds. While this directive is clear, many court orders blocking or reversing Trump Administration actions have been followed extremely slowly, if at all. If you know of probationary USDA employees who were fired and have not been rehired, please let us know via our survey
March 3, 2025Some USDA field offices may have had building leases terminated. If this happens in your service area, the county staff will be relocated to neighboring county offices. You should locate your closest county office for information if you cannot reach your usual NRCS or FSA staff members by telephone or email.
March 3, 2025It is important to be aware that agency offices (FSA & NRCS) may be understaffed, and it could take longer than normal to receive services or communications from staff members.
March 3, 2025Staff layoffs at NRCS or FSA could result in disruptions to pending contracts or other arrangements with USDA if the staff member who is handling your matter is laid off. Farmers should stay in contact with their local offices, and if their NRCS or FSA staff contact has been laid off, request documentation on all progress in their matter and request clarity regarding who will be handling their matter going forward.
February 20, 2025On February 20, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the release of $20 million towards EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Payments) contracts while the administration continues its review of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds. The $20 million released represents a tiny fraction of the 19.5 billion dollars allocated to farm programs over 10 years under IRA. Rollins also stated that this is the first portion of funding to be released and that additional announcements can be anticipated as the USDA continues its review to ensure that programs are focused on supporting farmers and ranchers, not DEIA or climate programs.

Other Resources for Navigating the Federal Freeze as a Farmer