When the Natural Resources Conservation Service lost nearly a quarter of its staff due to 2025 budget cuts, American farmers lost a great deal of expertise they relied on for soil and water conservation, according to a report by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Many of the NRCS’s staff were local experts who help farmers with conservation. They worked in county offices to help farmers prevent soil erosion and improve the health of their soil.
Some farmers received grants from the agency to plant trees that protect their soil from heavy rains and strong winds.
The NRCS, now being reorganized by the Trump administration, was founded in the 1930s in response to the Dust Bowl.
