An analysis from Prospect Partners found the size of the USDA’s workforce declined 21 percent from January to November of 2025. In the state breakdowns, the North Dakota Farm Service Agency lost 27 percent of its staff. Half of the employees in the North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service and 44 percent in Rural Development have left their respective agencies. In Minnesota, the Risk Management Agency suffered staff cuts of 50 percent. Sixty-seven percent of Minnesota employees of the USDA Economic Research Service are out of a job. In South Dakota, 45 percent of the Agricultural Marketing Service and nearly 30 percent of the Agricultural Research Service were removed from the payroll.
