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Seven Northeast Organic Farming Associations and other organizations filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging USDA staff cuts.
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The lawsuit argues that the President’s reorganization of the federal government, including cuts to the USDA, exceeds his authority and requires Congressional approval.
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Farmers express concern over the impact of these cuts on essential USDA services, including crop research, food safety, and access.
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The NOFA chapters argue that cuts to agencies like the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service will harm small farms and the overall food system.
The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) of Vermont has joined six of its counterparts in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island in a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s reorganization of the federal government, calling it “unlawful,” according to a news release.
The lawsuit was filed on April 28 by a coalition that also includes nationwide labor organizations, cities and counties and non-profit groups.
Farmers have been raising alarms about cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s staff since President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating the cuts in February. The lawsuit seeks the court’s intervention to stop those cuts, arguing that only Congress has the power to change the federal government in the ways the President has directed.
At the time the lawsuit was filed, USDA had not publicly shared the cuts they were making, however Government Executive, citing sources within the USDA and documents obtained from the White House, reported that the Trump administration is planning to severely scale back or eliminate funding for many programs across the USDA as it slashes workers and closes offices at the local level, according to a news release.
Reform yes. Sweeping cuts without Congressional oversight, no.
While the NOFA chapters agree the USDA needs to be reformed, they fear that sweeping cuts without Congressional oversight or any plan to support the people and systems who rely on key services from the USDA − from crop research to food safety and access − will be very damaging to agriculture in America.
The NOFA chapters believe gutting the USDA workforce will threaten the function of the entire food system in the United States and dissolve the support structure small farmers rely on. There are mounting concerns among farmers about the type of agricultural system USDA is prioritizing, which puts independent farms at risk, raises consumer prices, increases corporate consolidation and makes the supply chain more vulnerable to disruptions, according to a news release.
“Farming is a trickle-up system; the more success the small farms have, the more farmland they can manage, the more food they can produce, the more people they can employ, the more people they can feed,” Meadow Squier, a livestock, vegetable and maple farmer in Tinmouth, said in a news release. “If we want to continue to have small farms and see new ones start up, we need to understand how important these (USDA) programs are to their existence.”
Growing dysfunction at key agencies within USDA threaten farmers’ futures
Farms are especially worried about growing dysfunction at the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), according to a news release. These agencies already struggle to meet demand. With less staff, wait times will grow, credit will be harder to access and emergency response will suffer.
“Our organic farm relies on NRCS support not just for funding, but for guidance, planning and long-term resilience,” Kristen Tyler, a livestock and vegetable farmer in Westford, said in a news release. “Our conservation planner was let go this spring. The loss of these dedicated staff members has left us and others with the technical support needed to implement conservation practices critical to soil health and climate adaption.”
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