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Naig warns USDA staff changes could strain services; Iowa expands Choose Iowa but federal funding gaps remain
Summary
Mike Naig said changes and reorganizations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have raised concerns about lost institutional capacity, particularly in APHIS and NRCS functions, and described state investments to expand Choose Iowa while urging predictable federal support.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said reorganizations and staffing shifts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have created uncertainty about the department's capacity to support farmers on programs such as conservation and animal-health response.
"We work closely with USDA, FDA, EPA on a variety of things, certainly in the conservation space," Naig said, adding that loss of experienced staff can hurt outbreak response. He said Iowa is asking USDA to ensure it has the workforce needed for functions such as APHIS and animal industries work.
Asked how many USDA staff were lost in Iowa, Naig said he did not have a specific number and described the situation as "work in progress." He emphasized state partnership and the need for a robust state conservation infrastructure to carry some work locally if federal capacity is reduced.
On local procurement, Naig discussed Choose Iowa, a state program launched in 2023 to connect local producers with institutional buyers. He said the program has received "millions" in state investment, operates a small pilot similar to the federal Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, and that the state is seeking additional legislative support to expand it.
Naig said LFPA was pandemic-era funding with a known "cliff" and that durable support should be addressed in the farm bill or through predictable appropriations rather than ad hoc emergency funding.
He urged continued state-federal cooperation and said Iowa will advocate that USDA play a role in locally focused procurement programs while making state investments to sustain momentum.
