
I'm an American farmer — empty USDA offices means fewer family farms
Fox News
Former USDA conservationist warns that staffing cuts threaten popular farm programs like EQIP and CSP, despite strong congressional support for funding.
Grady Heitmann is a former Natural Resources Conservation Service district conservationist and operates a farming and ranching operation in Faulk County, South Dakota with his son, Derek.
I saw this firsthand early in my career. When I moved to a local NRCS office in the early 1990s, one of the first producers I worked with was an older rancher who was deeply skeptical of the federal government. We sat down together, walked his land and put together a grazing plan that included a deep well, miles of pipeline and cross-fencing. The results spoke for themselves. His stocking rate increased, his operation improved, and his skepticism disappeared — a pattern I would see repeat itself over the years.













