Agriculture commissioner warns of shrinking federal funds, requests 7% pay plan and funding for fairgrounds repairs

The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce told the appropriations committee federal funding for state agriculture programs has fallen in recent years and asked the legislature for a package of pay, equipment and maintenance funding to preserve regulatory services and facility operations.

The commissioner said USDA federal funding “has been drying up” for the past two years and described the department as a mostly special‑fund agency that uses state appropriations principally to support salaries and regulatory work. He said roughly 65% of the department’s workforce is eligible for retirement and that the most urgent need is to raise inspector-level pay to retain mid-career regulatory staff.

As a primary personnel request, the department asked for a 7% across-the-board adjustment tied to the SCC 2 compensation authority (the agency referred to it in testimony as “SCC 2”), with particular emphasis on inspector ranks and other field…