FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOPEKA –  Rep. Derek Schmidt sent a letter this week urging the USDA to address staffing shortages—after proudly voting for the very cuts that eliminated 24,000 USDA jobs nationwide and a quarter of Kansas Farm Service Agency staff.

“Just last year, Derek Schmidt voted to slash the staff who help farmers access disaster relief, crop insurance, and low-interest loans,” said Lauren Fitzgerald, spokesperson for Kansas Coalition for Common Sense. “Now, he is trying to cover that up. Kansans work hard from sunup to sundown to provide for their families, and we don’t want handouts. We just want the government to stop making it harder for us to succeed. Kansas farmers deserve better than flip-flops from politicians who put partisan ideology ahead of our livelihoods.”

The USDA Farm Service Agency is essential for Kansas farmers, helping them sign up for federal programs, disaster relief, crop insurance, and low-interest loans. But after sweeping cuts, Kansas lost about 25% of its FSA staff in just over a year, according to federal data.

Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, said American farmers face the worst financial conditions since the 1980s farm crisis, dealing with tight margins, trade wars, and more frequent extreme weather. With limited options for financial assistance, every cut to USDA staff directly harms families trying to make ends meet.

Becky Schewe, policy analyst for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said Kansas lost up to 30 percent of its USDA NRCS staff. She said, “There’s this disconnect between the rhetoric that we’re, quote, moving service closer to farmers and the fact that they are, in fact, laying off or separating or moving staff who serve farmers directly and are already in the field.”

A 2026 USDA report found that Kansas had 700 fewer farms in the last year. Declines were concentrated among small- and mid-sized farms, while only larger operations increased in number.

“At a time when our state is losing small and mid-sized farms, the last thing Kansas farmers need is politicians making it even harder to stay afloat,” Fitzgerald said. “Derek Schmidt’s sudden concern for USDA staffing shortages rings hollow after supporting the very cuts that left Kansas farmers with fewer resources and less support. He votes one way in Washington and says another back home.”

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