A federal shutdown effectively freezes nearly all USDA-funded agricultural conservation work, with 95 percent of NRCS staff furloughed and program payments paused. Why it matters is that the Natural Resources Conservation Service provides the technical and financial backbone for conservation on American farms. Without it, many projects like wetlands or prairie planting are stalled.
Meanwhile, it doesn’t impact privately-funded or state-run projects, unless they are done in collaboration with federal funding or agencies, and many are. For example, Iowa typically has 475 NRCS employees working on conservation. During the shutdown, fewer than 500 staff members are left to cover the entire country. In fiscal year 2024, NRCS put $100 million into Iowa farms, and that momentum is now paused. This comes at a time when producers are already facing big challenges, and even short payment interruptions could deepen farmers’ economic turmoil. There’s no telling how long this will last.