USDA workers keep U.S. farms healthy. What now under Trump?

Cows are milked at the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn at Cornell University on Dec. 11, 2024, in Ithaca, N.Y., shortly after the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a federal order requiring testing of the nation's milk supply amid increasing concerns over avian flu. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

Back in early March, Massachusetts Agriculture Commissioner Ashley Randle sent a letter to the new U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, voicing congratulations — and a number of concerns.

Randle, a fifth-generation dairy farmer, shared that USDA's freeze on grants — imposed before Rollins was sworn in — had left Massachusetts farmers in limbo, wondering if they'd ever be reimbursed for investments they'd made based on those grants.

She also sounded the alarm on positions that had been cut.

"The loss of USDA staff has also left Massachusetts farmers without essential resources that have long been an important part of their success," Randle wrote, pointing to diminished staffing at the local Farm Service Agency office, which helps with loans, insurance and disaster relief.

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Outside groups sued; a court order later required USDA to reinstate fired employees. But since then, the Trump administration has moved swiftly to "reorient the department to be more effective and efficient at serving the American people," according to a USDA spokesperson.

As part of the overhaul, USDA allowed more than 15,000 employees — close to 15% of its workforce — to resign with pay and benefits through September.

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Those departures have led to new concerns for Randle, including whether the federal government will be able to respond quickly in a crisis. She's been told that many of USDA's Area Veterinarians in Charge, who get the first call whenever a pest or disease is detected on a farm, have resigned, including the one assigned to New England.

With avian flu likely to return with the fall bird migration, and other diseases including New World screwworm and African swine fever creeping ever closer to the U.S., Randle knows U.S. farmers and ranchers, along with the U.S. food supply, could be at risk.

"Being able to be nimble and respond as quickly as possible in these types of incidents is incredibly important," she told NPR. "It could be challenging."

Chickens stand in a henhouse at Sunrise Farms on Feb. 18 in Petaluma, Calif. Egg farmers have invested millions of dollars in biosecurity efforts to keep their flocks safe. Sunrise Farms lost 550,000 chickens to avian flu in December of 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption