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How the Government Shutdown is Impacting Farmers

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 1:14pm
US Capitol Building. Photo credit: Eric B. Walker.

The transition from one fiscal year to the next is not something that typically dominates headlines. In fact, as the calendar turns from September 30 to October 1 – when the federal government begins a new fiscal year – the less attention the better. Yet when Congress and the President are unable to reach an agreement on government funding, the start of a new fiscal year can bring with it tremendous impacts.

During a government shutdown some federal services will remain in operation, while others may go dark, and the longer the shutdown lasts, the more severe the disruptions become. This year, Congress and President Trump failed to reach an agreement to fund the government beyond September 30, 2025 – and as a result the government has largely closed. The President and Congressional Republicans have proposed to fund the government beyond September 30 with what’s known as a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) – simply put, to continue funding the government at the same level (H.R.5371). Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have called for a CR that funds the government and extends Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to prevent healthcare costs from skyrocketing for millions of Americans later this year (S.2882).

Access to critical services – such as reliable internet – can be challenging or even nonexistent in many parts of rural America. Unfortunately, this also extends to access to reliable and affordable health care. On average, individuals – including farmers – living in rural households are more likely to be uninsured. Yet the rate of uninsured adults under 65 in rural areas has dropped by nearly half since 2010, when the ACA was passed, and there’s reason to believe uninsured rates may have fallen even more steeply for farmers since the ACA’s enactment. Healthy, thriving farmers, families, and rural communities are a foundational component of a sustainable, just food and farm system – and ensuring that all Americans can access quality, affordable healthcare is a critical part of reaching that goal.

In addition to the government shutdown, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 – otherwise known as the 2018 Farm Bill – expired with the new fiscal year, bringing with it an additional set of uncertainties. The rest of this blog post explores the impacts of the government shutdown and the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill on farmers and food system stakeholders nationwide.

Government Shutdown

Whether you realize it or not, federal programs and services are a part of many peoples’ daily lives. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), with employees around the country currently totaling around 80,000, offers hundreds of programs in communities nationwide that support farmers and ranchers, rural businesses, and other food system stakeholders. With roughly half of USDA’s staff furloughed as a result of the shutdown, the impacts are sure to be felt widely.  However, these shutdown impacts cannot be viewed in isolation. In fact, for the nine months prior to the government shutdown, many of the programs and services that USDA offers have been under threat as funding has been frozen and abruptly – actions resulting in devastating consequences for farmers and rural communities. As with anything, context is important.

USDA has dramatically reduced its staff in recent months. Since January 2025, the Department has already lost at least 18,000 employees. More than 15,000 USDA employees left the department through the “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)”’s so-called Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). The DRP offered federal employees fully paid administrative leave through September 2025 if employees voluntarily resigned from their positions. Approximately 3,876 USDA employees accepted DOGE’s first round DRP offer, and an additional 11,298 USDA employees resigned in the second round of DRP. Many of these employees have years of experience and irreplaceable expertise. The staff losses are impacting research, conservation, the farm safety net, and more.  

Beyond staff losses, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced this summer a proposed USDA reorganization. This proposed reorganization was drafted without any consultation with farmers or other stakeholders. While the reorganization plan does not directly include planned layoffs or reductions in force (RIF), it would in all likelihood result in the loss of thousands more staff if office relocations and consolidations are carried out. Recent history shows that staffing losses directly reduce and delay USDA’s services to stakeholders. As of posting, the reorganization remains a proposal that has yet to be finalized or implemented. But if it is implemented as proposed, the impacts are likely to be severe, lasting long after the shutdown ceases. Find NSAC’s in depth comment on the reorganization here.

Finally, just prior to the start of the current government shutdown, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) distributed a memo to federal agencies encouraging them to consider firing employees during the government shutdown by specifically targeting staff who work on programs that were out of alignment with the President’s priorities. The memo was swiftly met with multiple legal challenges and as of posting, no RIFs have taken place during the current government shutdown. 

So, against the backdrop of broken funding agreements, staff firings, a reorganization proposal, and the spectre of more firings – all of which have either reduced USDA’s capacity to serve its stakeholders or threatened to do so – the federal government has shut down. This post looks at what that means for agricultural conservation, the farm safety net, nutrition, research, local and regional food systems, and food safety.

Broadly speaking, federal staff are only allowed to continue working during a shutdown if they are “excepted” – either they are somehow essential to the operations and mission of the agency, or their job is funded through a non-lapsed funding source. On September 30, 2025, USDA published its Lapse of Funding Plan, which details agency-by-agency shutdown plans, from furloughed staff to services that will lapse – and is the basis for our analysis below. 

Conservation

Roughly 99% of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff is located outside the National Capitol Region (NCR), which means they are overwhelmingly state-based to provide technical assistance directly to producers. Further, a significant portion – roughly a third – of the NRCS budget for that technical assistance comes from mandatory funding for conservation programs. In theory, this means producers should still have some limited access to NRCS staff and the financial assistance provided by conservation programs at this time. However, shutdown plans provided by the agency, and early reports from our members in the field, indicate the reality is far less clear. According to NRCS’ shutdown plan:

  • 95.799% of the remaining 9,237 employees are furloughed. It’s worth noting that, prior to the shutdown, nearly 1 in 4 NRCS employees left the agency this year.
  • Services continuing during a shutdown:
    • NRCS will continue agency operations using available funding, including fiscal year (FY) 2026 mandatory farm bill programs funds, as well as prior year carryover discretionary and mandatory funding, to implement NRCS services and programs at USDA service centers and offices.
  • Services stopping during a shutdown:
    • Key operational activities such as processing of contract payments to farmers and ranchers, conservation planning activities, ongoing collaborative projects with key soil and conservation partners, and processing of payments for outstanding contracts and agreements 
    • Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) amendments in process of being signed are now further delayed.

The shutdown plan presents an inherent contradiction. It correctly claims NRCS has the needed mandatory resources to continue providing some level of service to producers, but furloughs nearly every single employee, making it impossible to do so. As a result, farmers will likely (or may have already) go without a planned annual payment, a reimbursement for work already completed, or certainty from NRCS on how to complete fall field work to remain in compliance with existing contracts. This approach is needlessly disruptive and burdensome for farmers who are facing the same dismal economy as their neighbors, but have elected to do the hard work of improving conservation efforts within their operation anyway.

Farm Safety Net

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) – the primary agency responsible for administering farm safety net programs – is broadly impacted by the shutdown with a majority of its staff furloughed. Staff in county offices around the country will be largely unavailable for farmers seeking to access loans, commodity and other program payments, and disaster assistance. At a moment when producers across the country are facing significant financial challenges, many programs designed to provide such economic relief will be inaccessible due to the shutdown. 

  • 67% of FSA staff are furloughed
  • Services Continuing During a Shutdown:
    • After 10 days of a shutdown, each county office will have one loan employee and one farm program employee on call to complete certain loan processing items: continuing liens, protective advances, and bankruptcy notification responses. 
  • Services Lapsing During a Shutdown:
    • All disaster assistance payments, including remaining Supplemental Disaster Assistance programs
    • Processing annual CRP payments
    • Processing annual ARC/PLC payments 
    • Accepting and processing of new loans
    • Other credit or loan activities, including providing advance funds, obligating or closing direct loans previously approved, processing or approving debt settlement applications, processing guaranteed loss claims, and loan restructuring. 
Nutrition 

More than 40 million people and 29 million students rely on USDA nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and child nutrition programs. These essential nutrition resources will remain available during a shutdown, subject to the availability of funding. In this case, families will still have access to their SNAP benefits and schools will have access to foods through entitlement offerings; however, funding for WIC benefits is expected to run out very soon, impacting roughly 6 million pregnant people and parents with young children. 

  • 91.7% of USDA’s Food and Nutrition (FNS) staff have been furloughed. 
  • Services continuing during a shutdown:
    • FNS will designate staff to manage program administration of SNAP benefits between state agencies, but the number of staff available is unclear. 
    • School menus and purchases are largely planned before the school year begins. Schools should continue to have access to USDA foods and meal reimbursements since these funds are made available through a transfer of funds from Section 32, which can be drawn at any time. 
    • While it is reassuring that the majority of nutrition benefits will continue to be available for families and children, the extent to which these programs will run smoothly with so many staff furloughed is still unknown.
  • Services lapsing during a shutdown:
    • While existing authorized vendors will be able to accept and benefit from SNAP benefits, USDA will not process any new applications for vendors seeking to accept SNAP or WIC applications. 
    • Additional technical assistance or support services, such as offering webinars, will not continue during a shutdown. This is particularly relevant for current Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant applications that are due in early December. 
Research 

The shutdown not only impacts the work USDA does that directly serves producers, but also the research that underpins every aspect of farm viability and success. USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area – which houses the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) – is tasked with providing reliable scientific research, data, and analysis for America’s farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and other stakeholders. These research staff and sites provide the human capital and infrastructure for agricultural research, as well as data collection and analysis for commodities and rural communities. 

Many competitive grant programs within NIFA, like the Organic Research and Extension Initiative, Food Safety Outreach Program, and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, are already running nearly a full year behind their normal grant cycle even prior to the shutdown. The shutdown will further delay the agencies in opening up funding opportunities for these programs, exacerbating uncertainty for farmers and researchers who are already reeling from frozen and terminated funding agreements since the start of this Administration.

  • 69% of ARS Staff Furloughed
    • Services continuing during a shutdown:
      • Protection of human and animal life as well as research property and data where significant damage could result
      • Research on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, New World Screwworm, and other vital research needs that are essential to protecting public health and safety
    • Services stopping during a shutdown:
      • Citrus Greening
      • Animal/crop production and protection projects and food safety research 
  • 94% ERS Staff Furloughed
    • No public facing work at ERS will continue during shutdown
    • ERS will suspend almost all program activities. ERS publications, website updates, and data products, will be suspended during a lapse in appropriations
  • 95.6% NIFA Staff Furloughed
    • Continuing: financial and grants management support as needed
    • All program activity will cease

In addition, 91% of NASS employees and the entire Office of the Chief Scientist, except for the Chief Scientist themselves, are furloughed, along with a suspension of all NASS data releases. 

Local and Regional Food Systems 

Unlike other agencies within USDA, staff and operations at the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) – one of the primary agencies that supports local food system efforts – are largely funded by associated program fees and mandatory farm bill funding. As a result, many AMS programs and functions can continue during a shutdown. The status of other programs utilizing funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) remain unclear. 

However, this is not the case for Rural Development (RD). While the RD budget is small in comparison to AMS, it runs a number of impactful business development programs with staff located in every state. This includes the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Plant grant Program and the Value-Added Producer Grant program, among others. 

  • 8.72% of AMS staff are furloughed.  
  • Services continuing during a shutdown:
    • A number of activities that allow for products to reach markets, such as food product grading and specialty crop inspections, will continue uninterrupted. 
    • Commodity and food purchases, directed by FNS and other agencies, will continue. 
    • There are a number of Farm Bill programs that have mandatory funding, such as the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs, that should be unaffected.
  • Services lapsing during a shutdown include:
    • Grant programs funded by annual appropriation
    • National Organic Program; Country of Origin Labeling; Packers and Stockyards Program; Pesticide Data Program; National Bioengineered Food Disclosure  
    • Other programs not funded by mandatory funds may also halt such as the Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance program or the Local Meat Capacity grant program 
  • 83% of Rural Development (RD) staff have been furloughed. 
  • Services continuing during a shutdown:
    • The extent of activities that will continue will be those focused on protecting government assets or property. In this case, that includes home and farm loan programs, in which the government has a vested interest in collecting payments from borrowers. 
  • Services lapsing during a shutdown:
    • Although RD programs are authorized by the farm bill, the majority of business development RD activities are funded through annual appropriations and as a result will stop during a shutdown. These include programs such as the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, Rural Business Development Grants, and Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA). 
    • Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grants that have not been fully paid out are likely paused.
Food Safety

A large portion of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s staff, with their core missions of food safety, are exempted or excepted from the shutdown. However, even within this core mission, many of their services are reduced, defaulting to a more reactive position. Across both agencies, non-mandatory policy initiatives – such as those that provide extra guidance to small farms or small processors – will be paused. While these activities are not mandatory, they are of critical importance to those small businesses that rely on them. 

Across both agencies, state cost-share funding will follow the model of federal activities and  narrow in on key inspection activities as well. It is unclear from the contingency plans of both FDA’s Human Foods Program and FSIS whether the overall payment of these state cost shares will cease, though the FSIS contingency plan does mention the potential for this to happen whereas the FDA does not. 

The lapse in support for services and programs that benefit small farmers and processors means that parts of the industry often most in need of tailored support may feel the impacts of the shutdown disproportionately, further delaying needed progress in food safety improvements. 

  • 7% of FSIS staff are furloughed.
  • Services continuing during shutdown:
    • FSIS will continue to perform mission-essential food safety operations required to protect life and property, including statutorily required inspection of meat, poultry, and egg products, investigations necessary to protect public health (outbreaks, recalls, etc.), laboratory work essential to identifying public health concerns and threats, emergency preparedness, and minimum levels of other support functions necessary to maintain these activities. Additionally, mandatory administrative work related to the shutdown will also continue. 
  • Services stopping during the shutdown: All functions not required to directly or indirectly support the protection of life and property will cease. This includes non-essential administrative tasks, training other than mandatory training for frontline inspectors, and other support activities.
    • Cooperative Agreements for Inspection Services: States may run out of funds to perform key inspection services. A total of 29 states run Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs. 
    • Policy initiatives, including those that impact small and very small plants, are stalled.

According to FDA’s lapse plan, 13,872 (86%) of FDA staff will be retained, including 10,740 (66%) who are exempt from furlough because their activities or position are already funded or otherwise exempted and 3,132 (19%) who are excepted because their activities are deemed necessary by implication or for the safety of human life or protection of property).

  • Services continuing during shutdown:
    • All FDA activities related to imminent threats to the safety of human life or protection of property would continue. This includes detecting and responding to public health emergencies and continuing to address existing critical public health challenges by managing recalls, mitigating drug shortages, and responding to outbreaks related to foodborne illness and infectious diseases. It also includes surveillance of adverse event reports for issues that could cause human harm, the review of import entries to determine potential risks to human health, conducting for cause and certain surveillance inspections of regulated facilities, and related regulatory testing activities, and criminal enforcement work and certain civil investigations.
  • Services stopping during shutdown:
    • Food safety efforts within FDA’s Human Foods Program (HFP) are reduced to safety surveillance and emergency responses. Longer-term food safety initiatives, including policy work to help prevent foodborne illnesses and diet-related diseases, would be halted, jeopardizing public health.
    • FDA will be limited in the number and type of inspections to be conducted, unless the inspections are for cause or otherwise necessary to detect and address imminent threats to the safety of human life, or can be conducted with carryover user fee funding.
Office of Hearing and Appeals – National Appeals Division

USDA’s National Appeals Division (NAD) is an independent office that presides over appeals of adverse decisions stemming from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and Rural Development. When a farmer or other stakeholder disputes a decision made by one of those agencies, they generally may appeal the decision to NAD for review and potential reversal. 

During the shutdown, 100% of Office of Hearing and Appeals (OHA) staff are furloughed and all NAD proceedings are postponed. Given first the funding freeze and then the unprecedented and abrupt cancellation of countless agreements between the USDA and farmer-serving organizations under this Administration, the shutdown will further delay farmers and other stakeholders from obtaining the relief they seek. When the government reopens, there will likely be additional delay resuming postponed proceedings given how many appeals have been filed under the Administration challenging the lawfulness of recent decisions, on top of NAD’s regular docket.

Farm Bill Expiration

Amidst all of the uncertainty outlined above, it would be understandable if you lost track of the farm bill’s status. While the 2025 budget reconciliation bill (OBBB, P.L. 119-21) reauthorized some programs from the traditional farm bill, it excluded the vast majority of farm bill programs, leaving them to an uncertain future. Consequently, on October 1, 2025, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 – more commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill – expired.

Close observers of federal food and agriculture policy will be familiar with the oft-repeated albeit misleading message that the impacts of an expired farm bill don’t really kick in until January 2026, with the start of the new crop year. While it is true that there are new and significant impacts beginning in the new year, the consequences of allowing the 2018 Farm Bill to expire without a replacement begin immediately.

Note: the farm bill expiration impacts discussed below are anticipated impacts when the government is funded and open. During a government shutdown, the impacts in this section are superseded by and in addition to the impacts of a government shutdown.

Conservation

With one major exception, key USDA conservation programs – Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and the Regional Conservation Program (RCPP) – should remain largely unaffected by the expiration of the farm bill. This is a direct result of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which invested in and reauthorized these programs through 2031. However, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is not so lucky. 

Administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), CRP conserves and improves soil, protects water quality, and provides wildlife habitat by establishing long-term cover on highly erodible land or land in need of conservation buffers that has previously been in row crop production. In exchange for cost-share and rental payments, farmers remove environmentally sensitive land from production and plant resource-conserving land cover to protect soil, water, and wildlife habitat.

CRP’s statutory authorization lapsed along with the rest of the farm bill on September 30, and therefore no new work can occur within that program without action from Congress to extend the prior or reauthorize a new farm bill. Effective as of October 1, 2025: 

  • FSA will not approve new CRP contracts for any signup types
  • FSA will not process offers for enrollment in CRP for all signup types
  • FSA will not authorize any CRP contract revisions or corrections
  • Contracts that were approved on or before September 30 will receive annual rental and cost-share payments, and signing incentive and practice incentive payments, as applicable.

Local and Regional Food Systems

Due to NSAC member advocacy during the 2018 Farm Bill, many local and regional food system programs now have permanent mandatory baseline funding and therefore should not see a significant interruption following the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill on October 1, 2025. However, for programs such as the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), that have not yet awarded FY2025 Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program and Regional Food System Partnership Grants, it’s possible that grant cycles could be interrupted during the lapse in authorization. For the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), while states should be able to finish programming without interruptions for the remainder of the 2025 season, the programs’ operations could be impacted in calendar year 2026 if there is a significant delay in a farm bill reauthorization or extension.

Organics and Research 

A handful of critical farm bill programs are funded without mandatory “permanent” baseline funding, meaning that without a provision that specifically offers continued funding, funding for the programs would expire when the farm bill expires. Despite its faults, OBBB provided additional funding for several of these formerly “stranded” programs, meaning they will remain funded during a short term lapse in farm bill authority.

One such program is the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which supports farmers with their annual certification costs. The Organic Production and Market Data Initiatives (ODI) and Scholarships for 1890s Institutions also both received additional funding through OBBB and should not be impacted by the lapse in authorization. 

Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach

The Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO) program, which is a combination of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development program (BFRDP) and the Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (2501), was created in the 2018 Farm Bill in part to secure mandatory baseline funding for both 2501 and BFRDP. Many competitive grant programs within NIFA, like FOTO, are already running nearly a full year behind their normal grant cycle and saw no RFA for the FY25 grant cycle. Despite mandatory funding for the program continuing, the statutory authority for the grant program lapsed on October 1, 2025. Therefore, like LAMP discussed above, absent an extension or reauthorization, the next grant cycle may be interrupted.

Farm Safety Net

By and large, the farm safety net – ranging from credit to crop insurance and commodity programs – should continue to operate with little interruption through the end of 2025. 

The Federal Crop Insurance Program – which is permanently authorized and funded at such sums as necessary in perpetuity by Congress – will continue to function without interruption in the absence of a farm bill reauthorization or extension. Permanent disaster programs, including the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and programs to support livestock and fruit tree producers, are also authorized to continue. 

The farm bill also permanently authorizes USDA to make and guarantee loans, for which money is allocated by Congress in the annual appropriations process. Failure to reauthorize or extend the farm bill is not likely to impact the availability or servicing of farm loans. 

Several commodity programs – including Price Loss Coverage (PLC), Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC), Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), and marketing assistance loans – were amended and extended through 2031 in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill. Changes to reference prices in ARC/PLC will be implemented for the 2025 crop year, with payments calculated on these new reference prices set to be administered in Fall 2026. 

However, if the farm bill is not reauthorized or extended by January 1, 2026, these commodity programs will begin to be replaced with “permanent law,” or non-expiring provisions established in the 1938 and 1949 Farm Bills. The first commodity to be impacted is dairy. While the reconciliation bill amended these commodity programs, a suspension of permanent law was not included in the final legislation. Therefore, a reauthorization or extension of the farm bill prior to January 1, 2026, is necessary to prevent these programs from reverting to permanent law.

What’s Next

This year has presented farmers with an unprecedented set of obstacles to navigate. While there is a long way to go, the final months of 2025 nonetheless offer an opportunity to bring much needed stability after months of chaos – by ending the government shutdown, enacting FY2026 agriculture appropriations, and passing a farm bill extension if a strong and fair farm bill cannot be achieved this year.

The post How the Government Shutdown is Impacting Farmers appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
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SARE Roundup: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program Opportunities

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 8:59am
Cover crop, diakon radishes. Photo credit: Edwin Remsberg

*Despite the current government shutdown, these RFA’s will remain open, and the review process will continue. If the timeline changes, NSAC will update this blog post to reflect that.

Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has funded more than 9,380 farmer-driven research and education initiatives through competitive grant awards totaling nearly $478 million. As the only farmer-driven, sustainable agriculture competitive research grant program offered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), SARE provides farmers and researchers with vital opportunities to better understand agricultural systems and to increase profitability and build resilience to climate change. SARE-backed initiatives have furthered land and natural resource stewardship by funding research on topics such as soil health management, crop and livestock integration, soil erosion and runoff mitigation, and organic farming practices. In addition to research, many SARE projects also address social and demographic challenges faced by farming communities, including those encountered by underserved farmers, access to land, obstacles for young and beginning farmers, and rural quality of life.

SARE is administered through four regional councils of producers, researchers, educators, and government representatives. SARE regions include: North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western. These regional councils are responsible for setting SARE policies and grant making processes. Because each of the SARE councils designs and administers their own regional grant programs, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) provides a periodic aggregation of funding opportunities and other activities from across the regions in our “SARE Roundup.”

Each of SARE’s four regional programs administers three primary grant programs: Research and Education (R&E), Professional Development Program (PDP), and Producer Grants. Some regions also offer additional grants for community innovation, graduate student research, agricultural professionals conducting on-farm research, and region-specific initiatives.

Read on for details about what is going on in your SARE region!

North Central SARE

NC-SARE currently has four grants open for proposals: the Partnership Grant, the Farmer Rancher Grant, the Research and Education Grant, and the Professional Development Grant.

The Partnership Grant Program is intended to foster cooperation between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers to catalyze on-farm research, demonstration, and education activities related to sustainable agriculture. NC-SARE anticipates funding 20 projects this year, with each project receiving up to $50,000. Projects are funded for up to 24 months and typically involve three or more farmers or ranchers. University educators, including extension agents and specialists, NRCS field staff, agricultural consultants, and nonprofit or agency staff assisting farmers and ranchers at the local level can apply for this grant program.

The deadline for the Partnership Grant Program is November 5, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST. 

Farmers and ranchers have critical insight when it comes to improving their systems. Whether they need to limit off-farm inputs, reduce erosion, create more time for family or community activities, learn marketing skills, or find other ways to enhance their livelihoods, farmers and ranchers can turn to the Farmer and Rancher Grant Program for grant opportunities and information. In 1992, NCR-SARE began a competitive Farmer Rancher Grant Program exclusively to fund farmers and ranchers striving for agricultural sustainability.

NC-SARE anticipates funding 40 Farmer and Rancher Grant Program projects this year. Projects must be completed in 23 months, and award limits vary based on grant team size: individual grants can receive up to $15,000, teams of two or more grants can receive up to $30,000. 

The deadline for the Farmer Rancher Grant Program is December 4, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST.

The NCR-SARE Research and Education (R&E) Grant Program is a competitive grant program for researchers and educators involved in projects that explore and promote environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially responsible food and/or fiber systems.

Research and Education projects include a strong outreach component and significant farmer/rancher or other end-user involvement from the inception of the idea through the implementation of the project. NC-SARE anticipates funding 16 R&E Grant Program projects this year. Projects must be completed in 36 months, and grant awards range from $10,000 to $250,000.

The deadline for the Research and Education (R&E) Grant Program is December 4, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST.

The Professional Development Grant Program supports state professional development programs and competitive grants for training agricultural professionals. Professional Development Program (PDP) competitive grants emphasize training agricultural educators in extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, private, and not-for-profit sectors, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community. Applicants are educators who often represent but are not limited to, Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and non-profit groups. PDP competitive grants are awarded for state and multi-state PDP projects that emphasize cross-agency training, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community. 

NC-SARE anticipates funding 10-12 PDP projects this year. Projects may last up to 36 months, and grant awards are made up to $120,000.

The deadline for the Professional Development Grant Program (PDP) is November 5, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST.

For a list of NC-SARE grants funded in your region search the SARE database.

Northeast SARE

NE-SARE currently has one grant open for proposals, the Farmer Grant Program.

Northeast SARE offers grants to farmers to explore new concepts in sustainable agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Farmer Grant projects address issues that affect farming with long-term sustainability in mind.

Competitive proposals explore new ideas and techniques or apply known ideas in new ways or with new communities. Reviewers look to fund projects that are well-designed to meet proposed objectives and promise the greatest benefit to farming communities.

Awards typically range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending upon a project’s complexity and duration. Projects that are more complex include multi-farm collaboration, intensive education for other farmers and/or service providers, and/or replicated research over multiple years or locations. Simpler, straightforward proposals with modest budgets are equally encouraged.

The deadline for Farmer Grants is December 9, 2025 by 5:00 pm EST. Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Administrator Candice Huber will be hosting a series of drop-in Q&A sessions from Noon to 1:00 pm EST on Tuesdays in November. Sessions will take place on: Nov 4, 11, 18, and 25. You can register for a Q&A session here.

For a list of NE-SARE grants funded in your region, search the SARE database.

Southern SARE

S-SARE currently has three grants open for proposals: the Research and Education Grant, the Professional Development Program Grant, and the Producer Grant.

Research and Education Grants are competitive research grants for teams of interdisciplinary researchers that encourage a systems approach in sustainable agriculture.

S-SARE offers three categories for Research and Education Grants: production research, postharvest-food systems research, or a continuum that spans both.

  • Production research—Focused on actual production methods, this kind of research has made up the bulk of SARE’s project portfolio in the past and has developed techniques that have become common tools for farmers. SSARE continues to fund these types of research proposals as they provide key parts of a larger holistic system, particularly as they relate to farmer participation in our program and complement the Producer, On-farm, Professional Development, and Graduate Student grant programs.
  • Postharvest/food systems research—These projects examine what happens past the farm gate such as in the markets, distribution systems and policy making. This category can serve as a funding path for social science researchers to also make a difference in our farm and food systems.
  • A combination of production and postharvest/food systems research—While some research can be separated into production and postharvest levels, we also seek to encourage attempts to provide integration of the different levels of the agricultural system, as well as the different sciences that lend more value to the results. The ultimate in systems research would connect what goes on in the ground with everything that happens after a crop is harvested, including adding value, marketing, infrastructure for processing and transportation, as well as policy making.

Research and Education Grants require a two-step application process: A pre-proposal application process and a full proposal application process for those invited by the review committee to submit a full proposal. Research and Education Grant project maximums are $400,000, limited to three 3 years.

The deadline for Research and Education Grants is November 21, 2025 by 12:00 pm EST.

Professional Development Program Grants, known as train-the-trainer grants, are available to help further education and outreach strategies for ag professionals and ag educators who work directly with farmers and ranchers.

The grant funds training activities that educate ag professionals in up-to-date strategies and technologies to help farmers and ranchers increase profits and lessen environmental impacts. PDP grants support such activities as producing workshops, creating educational manuals and videos, or conducting on-farm tours and demonstrations.

The application process for Professional Development Program Grants requires a pre-proposal, followed by a full proposal for those applicants invited to submit one by the regional review committees. One or two year projects can be funded up to $100,000. 

The deadline for Professional Development Program Grants is November 14, 2025 by 12:00 pm EST.

Producer Grants support farmers and ranchers in developing sustainable production and marketing practices. The goal of the program is for farmers and ranchers to conduct projects to solve challenges and problems they face and develop information on what works and does not work, so that others facing those same problems can benefit from the results of the funded project. Any farmers or ranchers and farmer/rancher organizations throughout the Southern region are eligible to apply, and the maximum funding amount for individual farmers/ranchers is $20,000 and $25,000 for farmer/rancher organizations. Project duration is for 2 years.

The deadline for the Producer Grants is December 5, 2025 by 12:00 pm EST.

For a list of S-SARE grants funded in your region, check out these examples in the SARE database.

Western SARE

W-SARE currently has five grants open for proposals: the Research and Education Grant, the Professional + Producer Program Grant, Framer/Rancher Program Grant, the Professional Development Grant, and the Local Education and Demonstration Grant.

The Research and Education Grants involve scientists, agricultural producers, and others using interdisciplinary approaches to advance sustainable agriculture at local and regional levels. With the collaboration of producers, projects must integrate rigorous research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture- environmental, economic, and social- and use innovative educational outreach to disseminate new knowledge to students, producers, and other agricultural stakeholders. 

Projects must incorporate research and education, and bring together a team of researchers, students, ag professionals, and producers. Project budget is $350,000 maximum, with project length 1-3 years.

The deadline for Research and Education Grants is November 10, 2025 by 5:00 pm MST.

The Professional + Producer Grant Program involves agricultural technical advisors (main applicant) and producers implementing projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. With the collaboration of at least three producers, projects must integrate research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture- environmental, economic, and social- and use innovative educational outreach to disseminate new knowledge to producers and other agricultural stakeholders.

Project budget is $85,000 maximum, with project length 1-3 years.

The deadline for Professional + Producer Program Grants is November 20, 2025 by 12:00 pm MST.

The Farmer/Rancher Grants Program supports agricultural producers (main applicant) working with technical advisors in implementing projects addressing identified needs in sustainable agriculture and conducting outreach on the topic. Producers and technical advisors must integrate research and education to conduct on-site/on-farm experiments to improve production, marketing, and the environment. Both research and education components must be distinct elements of the proposal. The goal of this program is to find ways to protect the environment, enhance farm income, and improve the quality of life for farming/ranching families, communities, and society as a whole. 

Farmer/Rancher projects are limited to $35,000 with project length 1-3 years.

The deadline for the Farmer/Rancher Grants Program is November 20, 2025 by 12:00 pm MDT.

The Professional Development Grants Program focuses on training agricultural professionals to help them spread knowledge about sustainable agriculture concepts and practices. Projects should increase agricultural professionals’ sustainable agriculture knowledge, skills and action, and they should have outreach plans demonstrating delivery of knowledge. 

Projects can be up to 3 years (36 months) in length and funded up to $100,000.

The deadline for Professional Development Grants is November 20, 2025 by 12:00 pm MST.

For a list of W-SARE grants funded in your region search the SARE database!

SARE Application Process

SARE proposals must be submitted online via this portal. Once submitted, proposals are reviewed by a Technical Review Panel against the criteria outlined in the grant’s open call and in comparison, with other submitted grant proposals. The SARE Administrative Council for the region – typically, a board of agricultural producers, scientists, educators and business leaders – then makes the final selections of projects to fund. The Council typically selects proposals that are diverse in subject matter and geography, and that demonstrate outcomes that farmers and ranchers in the region can successfully adopt.

SARE publishes a summary of funded projects by state. The portfolio summary breaks down funding by SARE project type and total funding per state since 1988, and the grant list includes every grant awarded in the state by title.

Find out more about SARE projects in your state here.

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REAP Must Remain Functional and Accessible to Farmers

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 - 4:15pm
Seldom Rest Farms of Myerstown, PA used REAP to help finance solar panels on their farm. Photo credit: USDA.

Farmers and rural businesses are still waiting to find out if they can access one of the United State Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) most popular programs, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This USDA program, which provides federal grants and loan guarantees for farmers and rural small businesses to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, has endured a funding freeze, delays, and now a potentially fundamental shift in program functions.

On August 19, 2025, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a press release outlining a number of changes to the REAP program, as well as to the USDA Rural Development Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program. Specific to REAP, effective immediately, the memo outlines restrictions to the loan guarantee program and deprioritization in the grant program for ground mounted solar systems larger than 50kW. The memo also includes language that has caused uncertainty about whether grants can be used to purchase solar technologies manufactured outside of the United States. The impacts of these shifting priorities could be substantial, and the USDA has yet to provide any detailed guidance on how they will be implemented.

This latest announcement comes on the heels of a previous stakeholder announcement from June 30, 2025, that delayed the opening of REAP’s first grant application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. Fiscal Year 2026 applications were supposed to be open from July 1 through September 30 but instead were delayed and the new application cycle has not opened. According to USDA, the delay was attributed to the “overwhelming response and continued popularity of the program resulting in a backlog of applicants.” It was then expected that the FY26 application cycle would open on October 1, a timeline likely complicated by the current shutdown. To date, USDA has yet to issue detailed guidance for farmers, rural small businesses, and technical assistance providers concerning how the new priorities outlined by the Secretary for the REAP grant program will be implemented. 

This new uncertainty surrounding the program is compounded in light of recent events, when  farmers and rural small businesses participating in REAP endured a funding freeze that lasted several months in early 2025. The freeze was the result of an Executive Order issued on January 20, 2025 seeking to shift federal support away from renewable energy. In response, the USDA immediately froze all funding for the REAP program, including for those grants and loan guarantees that were already obligated. It was not until early April 2025 that the USDA finally began to release frozen REAP funding. This long delay led to frustrations and unanticipated expenses for farmers and rural businesses who expected the USDA to honor its commitments.

Program Uncertainty Leading to Mistrust and Delayed Farmer Support

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has been a longtime advocate for the REAP grant program’s ability to support farmers and ranchers in implementing their own projects to help them save money by becoming more energy efficient. The ongoing uncertainty and disruption to these programs have undermined the trust between farmers, rural businesses, and the USDA and threaten the future of this and other programs. During the period of frozen funding, for example, one farmer waiting on their REAP grant indicated they would “think twice about turning to USDA for help any time soon.” 

A grant writing firm that does energy audits and prepares REAP applications shared that  the current instability of REAP has taken a toll. The sudden changes and unclear guidance has put more than 100 grant applications on hold for this firm, representing over $20,000,000 in projects that have been stalled. NSAC urges USDA to provide more concrete guidance regarding how the new REAP priorities will be implemented and the program timeline. Without thoughtful guidance, USDA risks continuing to undermine this popular program. 

According to one REAP grant writing firm, “Many farmers are using decades old grain dryers this harvest because ordering new equipment was dependent upon potential grant funding that never came. Others must now restructure their finances to resubmit applications.”

REAP Is Broadly Popular

The REAP grant program is a well-liked, bipartisan program with a strong focus on smaller farmer-owned projects. Since its inception, REAP has funded more than 19,000 grants totaling more than $1.8 billion in direct support to farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses to help them improve their energy efficiency and reduce operational costs. 46% of those REAP grants were awarded to agriculture, forestry, fishing, or hunting businesses.

Because of its ability to fit in unutilized spaces, decrease utility bills, and integrate with agricultural activities in agrivoltaic systems, solar is a popular choice for REAP grant applicants. According to the data from Rural Development, 72% of all REAP grant projects are solar. There have been approximately 3,378 REAP grants for solar projects with businesses classed as agriculture, forestry, fishing, or hunting. 

Looking at the descriptions provided of past projects, it is clear that, for the most part, USDA has an interest in keeping the grant program functional and that the changes described in the August 19, 2025, memo may have minimal effects on the majority of REAP grants.  Only about 152 projects of the 3,378 REAP grants that went to farms and agricultural businesses, maximum, would have been affected by the new limitations because they had ground mounted solar installations of more than 50kW.

Even among the small number of projects that would have been affected by the new rules, it is worthwhile to note that many were still farmer-owned and not on productive farmland. Although the solar projects may be ground mounted and over 50kW, they are not on land competing with agricultural production. Rather, they are in proximity to buildings or infrastructure, such as a Colorado potato farm’s 59kW array next to their potato warehouse and a Michigan farm’s 1.2MW system for their poultry and egg barns. Instead of a blanket deprioritization of ground-mounted projects over 50kW, USDA should consider the incredibly varied operations that apply for the program and support producers with options that work best for their circumstances, including for needs over 50kW.

Confusion Remains Over Implementation of these Changes

Without clarifying guidance, it remains possible that the REAP grant program could lose much of its functionality. In the press release, Secretary Rollins says USDA “will no longer fund taxpayer dollars for solar panels on productive farmland or allow solar panels manufactured by foreign adversaries to be used in USDA projects” and, in supportive quotes, Members of Congress refer to “foreign-made solar panels.” The Department of Energy estimates that 85% of the solar modules installed in the US are imported, the majority from China. If guidance is implemented immediately in the next grant application cycle that limits imported solar materials, there are significant concerns that REAP will be impacted. With China responsible for a majority of the global solar market, domestic sourcing requirements could dramatically increase project costs, potentially pricing out the small farmers that REAP is supposed to serve.

Right now, producers are facing some of the toughest economic conditions in decades, and they need USDA programs like REAP that help diversify revenue and reduce costs to remain functional, reliable, and available. In the long run, investing in domestic solar manufacturing would benefit farmers and the US energy sector alike, but until such capacity is in place, restrictions risk cutting off affordable, proven technologies that farmers rely on. The press release also justified these revisions as a means of preventing solar development from displacing productive farmland. However, REAP grant data indicate that only a very small share of projects involved ground-mounted systems larger than 50kW, and among those, most were not located on high-value cropland. Farmers, especially those running small and midsized operations, cannot afford to lose access to cost-saving technologies at a time of historic economic pressure. If USDA wants REAP to remain functional, revisions must be carefully tailored to support domestic innovation without undermining farmer access.

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Guest Blog Post: The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant FY 2026 Cycle is Open!

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Monday, October 6, 2025 - 12:43pm
Photo Credit: National Young Farmers Coalition

Editor’s Note: This blog post is a guest post authored by the National Farm to School Network, which is an NSAC member.

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program has had an incredible reach, providing $100 million in awards to 1,275 projects since 2013. On September 10, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was opening applications for the FY 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program. National Farm to School Network applauds USDA for this new launch, especially after two key farm to school programs were canceled in March: the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program and the $660 million Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) program. LFSCC, which directly funded food purchases from local farmers, has not returned. The Patrick Leahy Program supports farm to school efforts broadly but offers little funding for local ingredients.

We would like to thank all the legislators who expressed concern and asked questions to USDA Secretary Rollins through a joint letter and through multiple hearings. We also want to thank our local and state partners who shared their stories about the impact of the recent cut and advocated for its continuation.

We are also incredibly grateful to USDA for making farm to school a priority, which was featured in the agency’s recent Small Family Farms Policy Agenda. We urge USDA to continue to find ways to bolster local procurement, school gardens, and agriculture education. Farm to school is truly a triple win for our nation’s farmers, kids, and communities.

The Good News: 

There’s ample time to submit gather and submit an application
Farm to school champions have just under three months – until December 5th – to submit applications. 

There’s up to $18 million on the table
USDA has shared it will award up to $18 million, subject to availability of funds. While this amount is less than what we hoped given the cancellation of the $10 million fiscal year (FY) 2025 cycle, if fully awarded, this would be the largest annual round of awards since the program began in 2013!

USDA is providing more technical assistance that ever
This technical assistance takes the form of a webinar and several office hours:

*Edit: The government shutdown on October 1 will likely affect USDA’s office hours—it is unclear whether they will be postponed or cancelled.

Major Changes in the Request for Applications (RFA):

Partnerships are now required (with some exceptions)

While project partnerships were common in previous award cycles, the FY 2026 RFA now requires applicants other than State agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) to apply as a partnership. A partnership is a group of three or more entities, including a coordinating entity, that will participate in the proposed grant project. All projects must include at least one child nutrition program (CNP) as a partner.

We’re glad to see USDA affirm that strong partnerships are the foundation of successful farm to school programs. However, the new mandatory CNP partner regulation may cause some hardship for some. Projects not specific to CNPs, such as research or solving broader problems, will now have to shift. For example, work that focuses on food supply chain innovations or providing training to farmers may be constrained. In addition to producers, the CNP partnership requirement may also present difficulties for early childcare sites that do not participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) due to burdensome paperwork or regulations. If these sites want to submit a proposal, they will need to adjust their project ideas to include an official CNP partner and then secure one, even though they already feed children every day. That feels like a tall ask for two groups that are already stretched thin.

Finding partners and ensuring proposals meet these guidelines may require extra time and intentionality. Please refer to NFSN’s state partner map or connect with your own state’s farm to school network if you need assistance finding project partners.

Projects must be at least $100,000‍

Increasing the project proposal floor to $100,000 marks a truly dramatic change. Since 2013, 97% of previous grant awards representing 88% of funding have been for under $100,000. Before this, there was no project request floor and the award cap was increased from $100,000 to $500,000 just in 2022 for multi-state or multi-Tribal projects. The award cap for the Turnkey Grant track, which spanned 2021-2024, was even smaller, at $50,000. ‍

The Match: Providing a 25% match has always been a barrier to participation. As the cost of a project increases, so does the match. Page 15 of the RFA explains the formula: If the federal grant request is $100,000 (the new minimum), this means applicants will have to provide a match amount of $33,334, bringing the total project cost to $133,334. 

While creating high-award and high-impact grant projects makes sense to streamline operations at USDA, it is likely that many small-scale projects and smaller-size applicants will be excluded from this grant opportunity. Many rural schools may not want to request $100,000 for a project, even if they could afford the match. Additionally, there are less than ten states that have established and funded similar competitive farm to school grant programs at the state-level. This will leave a large gap for funds to seed farm to school programs, especially for the Southeast, Mountain Plains, Southwest, and Midwest regions.

Therefore, applicants must be more intentional about project partners for their applications this cycle. Multiple small projects can team up to form larger cohesive proposals, and applicants with greater capacity can reflect on how they are able to step up for grassroots partners through regranting or partnership.

Equity scoring criteria is removed

The FY 2025 cycle was canceled because the grant’s scoring criteria added bonus points related to equity. Therefore, it’s no surprise that this was removed from the FY 2026 cycle.

Specifically, the previous RFA added up to seven bonus points for racial equity priorities, including tribal organizations, and organizations led or staffed by people of color and serving communities of color. This scoring boost wasn’t limited to racial equity. Up to three bonus points went toward small-to mid-size producers and producer groups, child nutrition programs in rural areas, and projects that serve high proportions (40%+) of students that are eligible for free and reduced breakfast.

While NFSN recognizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion measures are explicitly not part of the Trump Administration, these bonus points helped level the playing field for many different kinds of communities that have historically faced discrimination. ‍

Removal of grant tracks

Previous cycles included multiple grant tracks: State Agency, Implementation, and Turnkey (further subdivided into Agriculture Education, Edible Garden, and Planning tracks). This RFA removes all grant tracks.

While this ‘streamlining’ may have some benefits such as giving more freedom to applicants, it also may come with some unintended consequences. With multiple tracks, it is easier for grantors to earmark certain funds for specific purposes or groups to ensure fair or strategic distribution. The Turnkey track (which allowed awards of up to $50,000) was also designed to be more plug-and-play for applicants new to farm to school or looking to engage in small projects. The elimination of the Turnkey grant track and the increased award minimum will make it harder for these applicants to apply. 

To Wrap It Up:

National Farm to School Network is thrilled at the launch of the FY 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Cycle. This funding is critical to support the growth of farm to school programs across the country. With three months to develop proposals and additional technical assistance from USDA staff, we are looking forward to seeing how the up to $18 million will get awarded. 

The key changes this round include: (1) requirement for partnerships for non-state agency and Indian Tribal Organization applicants, (2) new request minimum of $100,000, and (3) removal of equity bonus point scoring criteria, (4) removal of grant tracks.  

The new FY 2026 structure has the potential to support large-scale, ambitious projects that can transform farm to school. However, it also risks leaving out smaller initiatives that have long been the backbone of this movement. Ensuring project proposals meet the new partnership requirements and navigating partnerships thoughtfully and equitably will be key to ensuring that all communities have a chance to benefit from this funding.

Our organization has created a dashboard with visualizations and descriptions of the 1,275 grant projects awarded thus far – $100M since 2013! While there are significant changes in this grant cycle, our dashboard can help you learn more about successful projects and find out who was awarded in your area.

‍Collaborate with NFSN On Your Project:

‍NFSN is excited to work with our partners on joint proposals, ranging from a main partner to a small consulting role. If you are interested in teaming up with NFSN for a project, please email one of our staff members or email info@farmtoschool.org.

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NSAC Counters DOE Claim: Climate Change is Harming, Not Helping, US Agriculture

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Thursday, October 2, 2025 - 9:04am
Photo credit: Madeline Turner

On September 22, 2025, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) submitted comments opposing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding – one of the United States’ most critical tools in the fight against climate change. The Endangerment Finding established the scientific and legal basis requiring Clean Air Act regulation of greenhouse gas emissions to protect public health and welfare, and it underpins most US climate rules. Depending on EPA’s final approach, the rescission could impact regulations far beyond motor vehicle emissions.

The EPA proposal ignores decades of comprehensive, peer-reviewed science and relies almost exclusively on a draft report from the Department of Energy’s ‘Climate Working Group’, a since-disbanded group of five climate skeptics who do not represent scientific consensus. In their chapter on agriculture, the report’s authors go so far as to claim that “there is reason to conclude that on balance climate change has been and will continue to be neutral or beneficial for most US agriculture.”

The reality of farming in the United States tells a different story. Climate change is already disrupting agricultural production across most major crops and regions.

Due to climate change and depending on the region, farmers and farmworkers nationwide face:

  • Unprecedented heat and drought that have led to crop and livestock stresses, yield losses, and depleted surface and groundwater resources;
  • More intense weather and changing precipitation patterns, heavy rains, hurricane winds, and floods, as well as increasing pest pressures;
  • Decrease in quality and availability of forage; and
  • Rising hospitalizations and fatalities from heat and more airborne pollution (including wildfire smoke). These hazards disproportionately affect the 3 million farmworkers who do two-thirds of the labor to put food on American tables.

The EPA’s rationale contradicts both established science and farmers’ on-the-ground reality. As NSAC details further in its comment – joining tens of thousands of others highlighting the proposal’s departure from evidence – the Endangerment Finding should remain in place and the rescission proposal should be withdrawn. 

Read NSAC’s full comment here.

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Release: NSAC Presses for More Details, Better Process on USDA Reorganization

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 - 3:58pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net

Tel. 347.563.6408

Release: NSAC Presses for More Details, Better Process on USDA Reorganization

Washington, DC, October 1, 2025 – Yesterday, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) submitted a comment outlining concerns with the proposed US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reorganization plan detailed in Secretary Memorandum 1078-015.

In its comments, NSAC emphasized that while it supports USDA’s stated goals of enhancing effectiveness, accountability, and service delivery, the current proposal was made without input from farmers, lacks sufficient detail, and risks undermining core functions of the agency. NSAC warned that the plan could destabilize agricultural research, conservation programs, technical assistance, and access to critical components of the farm safety net.

“Our members, more than 170 grassroots organizations representing family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, are deeply concerned that this reorganization could worsen the challenges many producers are already facing,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, adding: “We urge USDA to revise its approach and engage meaningfully with stakeholders to ensure reforms strengthen, rather than weaken, the Department’s ability to serve our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and the broader public.”

The letter was submitted electronically to reorganization@usda.gov as part of the public comment process, which closed yesterday.

Read NSAC’s full comment here.

### 

About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC):

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/

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Comment: NSAC Laments Government Shutdown as It Harms Farmers, Halts Progress

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 - 2:45pm

Washington, DC, October 1, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment in response to the government shutdown after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director. 

“In a challenging moment for farmers and the farm economy, the government shutdown will further destabilize – and in some cases stop – federal services that offer critical loans, disaster assistance, conservation funding, and more. The shutdown also threatens food safety, leaving states on the hook to fund food safety inspections once their cooperative agreements expire. With nearly half of all US Department of Agriculture (USDA) staff furloughed, farmers can expect limited services and delayed payments. These disruptions will worsen with time and be exacerbated if the Administration implements a ‘reduction-in-force’ plan to fire more USDA employees. NSAC encourages Congress and the President to set-aside finger pointing and work toward an agreement that brings stability to farmers and the communities they call home.”

### 

About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC):

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/

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USDA Staffing Crisis: Farm Service Agency Staff Losses Put Farm Safety Net at Risk

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 - 1:07pm
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

On July 24, 2025, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins released memorandum SM-1078-015 announcing a proposed reorganization of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The proposal was drafted without consultation with farmers or other key stakeholders. Since the beginning of 2025, the agency has already lost more than 20,000 employees, and if implemented, the restructuring could trigger thousands more departures.

In response to a public outcry, USDA opened an ad hoc opportunity for feedback on the proposal. NSAC is encouraging farmers, advocates, and organizations to submit their perspectives on the proposed reorganization to reorganization@usda.gov by September 30, 2025. Still, NSAC remains seriously concerned that USDA has bypassed the standard practice of issuing a Federal Register notice to formally solicit public input on a change of this scale.

This post is the fourth installment in our series examining USDA’s staffing crisis and the ripple effects of the proposed reorganization. Here, we highlight staffing declines within the Farm Service Agency (FSA), where staff reductions threaten to undermine the agency’s ability to administer farm safety net programs, deliver disaster assistance, and provide critical support to farmers across the country. Our earlier posts looked first at overall USDA and state-level staff losses, the implications for the Department’s research agencies, and the loss of staff at the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

FSA Staff Numbers Have Fallen for Two Decades

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers loans and payments to farmers and landowners, operating through a network of more than 2,000 state and county offices. FSA staff help farmers apply for loans, price support programs, income support, disaster recovery, and a variety of other financial support programs. FSA, quite literally, keeps the money flowing for millions of American farms and ranches. 

FSA employees include national, state, and county office staff. About ⅔ of FSA employees are county staff, working directly with farmers and landowners in local offices spread across the country. In 2024, for instance, approximately 7,168 employees were FSA county staff and approximately 3,402 were FSA state or national employees. 

Figure 1: FSA Staff in FY2024

*While FSA state and national staff are “typical” federal employees, FSA county staff are technically employees of county or community committees and are not considered federal general service employees by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Therefore, there is unfortunately much less information available concerning FSA county staff than concerning FSA state and federal staff.  

FSA staffing levels have steadily eroded over recent decades. Even before the staff losses sustained during the current administration, the number of federal and state FSA staff declined by 43% between fiscal year 2005 and the beginning of fiscal year 2025. The number of county FSA staff declined by 22% during the same twenty year period. The National Association of Farmer Elected Committees recently sounded the alarm that there are now fewer than 6,000 FSA county office employees nationally, a 34% reduction from 2005 staffing levels. 

Figure 2: FSA Staff by Fiscal Year

*FSA state and federal staff numbers come from the Office of Personnel Management; FSA county numbers come from USDA annual budget explanations Accelerated FSA Staffing Losses

The FSA has lost at least 1,200 additional employees just since January 2025. Approximately 499 FSA national and state employees and 674 FSA county employees opted to accept the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). The DRP encouraged federal employees to resign from their positions in exchange for receiving full pay and benefits through September 2025. Approximately 88 additional FSA state and national employees separated from the agency between January and March 2025, according to OPM. Unfortunately, since FSA county employees are not tracked by OPM, it is unknown how many FSA county employees also separated from the agency during this new administration. 

Table 1: Recent FSA Staffing Losses

*FSA state and federal staff numbers come from the Office of Personnel Management; FSA county numbers come from USDA annual budget explanations

Altogether, the FSA is entering the 2025 harvest season with at least 12% fewer staff members than in January 2025 and at least 1,100 employees fewer than at the end of the first Trump Administration. Just as farmers and landowners enter a period projected to be extremely economically challenging, the agency that provides their federal financial support has been gutted. The FSA has struggled to administer payments to farmers under the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program of 2025 and the 2023/2025 disaster relief programs, and is navigating the extensive changes to the federal commodity payment programs that were part of the recently passed budget reconciliation process. In addition, there is a growing recognition that supplemental relief will be needed for producers impacted by tariffs, high input costs, and program cuts. The scale of such assistance, likely to be around $20-30 billion, will require significant FSA support to ensure any program is run effectively and payments reach all producers in need. At a time of extremely high demand, these staffing levels will cause distress for the agency and stakeholders.

Every State Hit With FSA Staff Losses

Since two-thirds of FSA employees are county staff, the impact of the DRP and staff separations has been felt in every state across the country. Amongst the FSA federal employees, states lost an average of 17% of their FSA staff to the DRP. Two states, Alaska and Delaware, lost the only federal FSA employees in their state to the DRP. The 674 county FSA employees who left their positions to the DRP were spread across 46 states, with Texas (59 employees), Iowa (37 employees), Georgia (36 employees), and Kansas (33 employees) losing the large number of FSA county staff. The map below shows the number of FSA staff lost in each state since January 2025, including both the staff who accepted the DRP and those who otherwise separated from the agency.

Figure 3: FSA Staff Lost to DRP and Separations

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No state has been spared in the gutting of the FSA staff. 

Farming Stakeholders Express Their Distress With Staff Cuts

Recently, The National Association of Farmer Elected Committees (NAFEC) issued a statement expressing their distress and frustration with existing low FSA staffing levels. NAFEC President Jim Zumbrink said: “NAFEC has County Committee members in every county in the nation and the word we are consistently hearing is our county office staffs are critically understaffed…As such, our staff will find it very difficult to perform the complex work of the new Farm Bill, combined with Disaster programs and ongoing programs, with the speed agriculture producers in America, both expect and desperately need.”

Leaders at NAFEC shared that their local offices will be unable to administer existing safety net programs and the forthcoming changes from budget reconciliation and a potential new farm bill. “The new farm bill is going to require millions of new base acres to be established which is going to take a lot of work. We also know that ongoing programs like the Livestock Forage Program (LFP), critical to our nation’s livestock producers, is a program that takes a lot of staff time to administer,” said Kevin Dale, a retired county executive director from a large beef-producing county in Oklahoma. His Oklahoma county office staff has recently been cut from a staff of four full time employees (including one full-time temporary employee) to just two staff members. With those numbers, he says, “Issuing payments quickly under this program will be impossible, without additional staffing.” 

FSA staff are highly skilled with extensive institutional knowledge that is lost with these separations. For instance, staff who separated from the agency between January and March 2025 had an average of 18.6 years of service, according to OPM. The decades worth of  invaluable experience and institutional knowledge FSA staff carry is essential to serving stakeholders effectively and efficiently. Bob Braden, a NAFEC officer and corn and soybean grower from Iowa says: “With the recent buyouts, not only are FSA offices depleted of warm bodies, but a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience also walked out the door of our offices. Replacing this experience will take a good amount of time.”

NAFEC’s recent public outcry concerning FSA staffing levels follows a July 2025 letter to farm groups highlighting that FSA staffing levels were “already at a breaking point:” “With recent buyouts and early retirements, the staffing levels in our counties has never been lower. Already at a breaking point, we are now faced with having to develop base acres on over 36 million new acres, as well as maintain all of the Title 1 programs that ensure a strong farm safety net. Frankly, we need your help if we are to be able to deliver the farm programs in the fast and efficient manner our producers have come to expect and deserve.” 

FSA Staff at a Breaking Point

The steady erosion of FSA staff, combined with the recent surge in losses, has left farmers and landowners with fewer resources and slower access to critical support just at the moment they most desperately need it. Rather than addressing this crisis, the Presidential budget includes massive cuts of more than $372 million to the FSA budget for the next fiscal year and plans to close many local offices. Deputy Secretary Vaden has said there are no plans to ask for either temporary or permanent increases in FSA staff levels, despite widespread stakeholder concerns. 

The proposed USDA reorganization will only further exacerbate this staffing crisis by driving even more staff out of the agency. Without a clear plan to rebuild FSA’s workforce, particularly at the county level where farmers most directly depend on assistance, USDA risks undermining the very programs that sustain farm communities in times of need.

The post USDA Staffing Crisis: Farm Service Agency Staff Losses Put Farm Safety Net at Risk appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
Read the full article: USDA Staffing Crisis: Farm Service Agency Staff Losses Put Farm Safety Net at Risk
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USDA Announces $38.3 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses due to Hurricane Helene in South Carolina

USDA News
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 - 12:00pm

(Washington, D.C., September 30, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $38.3 million in Congressionally mandated recovery assistance to South Carolina agricultural producers through a block grant agreement with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) to help producers recover from Hurricane Helene.
Read the full article: USDA Announces $38.3 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses due to Hurricane Helene in South Carolina
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USDA Announces $531 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses in Georgia

USDA News
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 - 8:00am

(Washington, D.C., September 30, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $531 million in Congressionally mandated recovery assistance to Georgia agricultural producers through a block grant agreement with the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) to help producers recover from Hurricane Helene.
Read the full article: USDA Announces $531 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses in Georgia
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