USDA changes felt in North Idaho

North Idaho’s outdoor recreation and agrarian industries will take new form as federal efforts, initiated earlier this month, aim to reduce bureaucratic fraud and waste through layoffs and paused funding. 

“We have a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of the American people’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars and to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy,” U.S. Department of Agriculture communications coordinator Larry Moore told the Herald. 

In Boundary County, government agencies own about 75% of the land, where their main responsibilities include managing hiking trails and facilitating timber sales with lumber producers such as Idaho Forest Group. 

Local farmers benefit from these agencies through the environmental stewardship programs and expert consultations they provide. 

In a survey conducted by the Herald, most local residents said they believe that unnecessary jobs are being cut, layoffs are a part of life, and that the nation's budgetary issues are being addressed. Some also said that the 10-month buyout offer is a good deal for the workers.  

But rapid changes to the USDA and its subsidiaries, such as the Forest Service and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, have left local officials and agriculture business owners wondering how agencies and local industries will adapt. 

Layoffs impact outdoor recreation The Bonners Ferry Ranger District will have two trail staff members, compared to the 12 it had last summer.Thirty-seven Idaho Panhandle National Forest employees were terminated mid-February, said Idaho Conservation League Panhandle Director Brad Smith. Among them, 15 were fired in Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry. Locally, most were trail crew, multiple sources confirmed.

“It’s been a rough day for people; we are being blindsided,” an IPNF official who asked to remain anonymous for job security said as colleagues were actively receiving termination letters Feb. 14. 

Those close to the situation said the loss of manpower will affect the ability of the Bonners Ferry Ranger District to provide the same outdoor recreating opportunities as years past.

With the cuts, the Bonners Ferry Ranger District will have two trail staff members, compared to the 12 it had last summer. The duo will be responsible for clearing over 300 miles of trails, cleaning over 40 outhouses, maintaining four campgrounds and much more. 

“We don’t know if the campgrounds will be open this summer,” Smith said. “We don’t know if outhouses will get pumped or be open.” 

Many who were fired had a record of excellent performance, said Pat Hart, who retired from the district in 2020 after 36 years working in Boundary County.

Three laid-off Bonners Ferry trail crewmembers had received the Chief’s Award, the highest honor given by the Forest Service, and had a proven performance record working seasonally for as many as 16 years, Hart said. 

Future of timber sales

Multiple regional officials confirmed that environmental resource technicians across various agencies involved in facilitating timber sales have been laid off in North Idaho, leading them to believe regulations will be cut to counteract the personnel loss. 

Ecologists, foresters, wildlife biologists, land managers, hydrologists, botanists, and silviculturists are among the specialists who ensure legal compliance with the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and others involved in the process of selling timber Around the same time as the layoffs took place, the Forest Service’s timber target for Region 1 increased by 50 million board feet for the next year.Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees working on active consultation in timber sales in the region were among those fired, said a North Idaho official who asked to remain anonymous for job security reasons. 

“In the short term, it will be harder to do business with lumber producers like Idaho Forest Group,” the official said. “But in the long-term, there will be much greater changes to increase timber production. Some of the highest-ranking positions in the USDA are professionals with background in timber.” 

One such individual is Tom Shultz, who the USDA announced Jan. 24 will be the next chief of staff for Natural Resources and Environment. For the previous seven years, Shultz was the vice-president of resources and government affairs for IFG. 

IFG Moyie Springs plant manager Chris Pease declined to comment on the changing dynamics of timber sales. 

Around the same time as the layoffs took place, the Forest Service’s timber target for Region 1 — which includes 12 national forests in North Idaho, Montana and northeastern Washington — increased by 50 million board feet for the next year, Smith said. 

In the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, which typically sells around 85 million board feet annually, the increase equates to about eight million.  

“On its face it doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you are simultaneously making staff reductions with people who go out and cruise timber, it’s hard to imagine how the Forest Service is going to hit its timber target,” Smith said. “If you reduce regulations, there’s an argument that you can get more done. But the tradeoff is the environmental impacts that would be overlooked.” 

Area farmers await funding decisions

 Houck Farms participates in multiple land stewardship government programs. Government-employed program experts that consult with area farmers have been laid off.

Kootenai Valley farmers who receive USDA funding are uncertain about the future of NRCS-administered programs that are prominent in the region, mainly the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program.  

Both EQIP and CSP have existed for decades but were enhanced by the 2018 Farm Bill. Then they received more funding through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. 

The USDA issued a statement Feb. 14 that it is reviewing IRA-funded programs for possible termination. 

Jeff Hood, manager of the century-old Houck Farm in Boundary County, said a lot is unknown about the status of these programs moving forward. But in communication with the National Association of Wheat Growers — the primary representative in Washington, D.C. for wheat growers — Hood said it is his understanding that payments for existing agreements will be met. 

"A lot of those programs are important to us — not just to farmers, but to rural communities like Bonners Ferry." Boundary County farmer Ty Iverson

“Those are going to continue because they are contractual obligations between local farmers and the NRCS,” he said. “No matter what, the intent of all farms in this valley is to be good stewards of the environment and do what’s best for their farms. The payments and programs help us advance our practices, but we don’t depend on them. We aren’t farming for the government check.” 

Hood said most of the IRA-funded NRCS programs in Idaho are based in the southern region. 

Ty Iverson, owner of a 3,000-acre wheat and canola farm in Boundary County, said he is monitoring USDA decisions closely in case new directives exclude programs that are fundamental to current farm operations. 

“It seems like things are changing all the time,” he said. “As much as this is a pretty conservative area, a lot of those programs are important to us — not just to farmers, but to rural communities like Bonners Ferry; not just at the local level but at overseas trade offices that promote our projects across the world. Most of the wheat from the Pacific Northwest is exported. Our trade relationships are important to us.” 

For the programs that continue moving forward, some NRCS technicians in the region who consult with farmers on various projects have been fired, Hood said. 

Area farmers agreed that local experts from the USDA, NRCS and Farm Service Agency are crucial partners who understand each farmer and each operation. 

“Staff reduction affects the level of service and expertise that we have in terms of boots on the ground, and that’s critical because no two farms are the same,” Hood said. 

It is unknown what will happen to the USDA payroll and programs moving forward, but regional officials said they expect additional layoffs.