Farmers Struggle as Aid Staff Shortage Deepens | Spokane News

Farmers across Franklin County are stuck in a bureaucratic bottleneck as the Farm Service Agency struggles with crippling staff shortages, forcing growers like wheat farmer Andrew Schafer to navigate complex aid programs alone. With budget cuts, retirements, and a lack of personnel—especially in regions needing 20+ new hires—the agency can’t keep up with new agricultural funding or disaster relief needs. Farmers say programs are useless without accessible help, creating a frustrating catch-22: no staff to guide participation, yet no participation to justify hiring more. While the agency leans on tech to speed things up, its core mission remains human-centered—prioritizing face-to-face support to help farmers access the resources they desperately need before the next crisis hits. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/e11fa11f40bd656a