ND farmer Weather Service cuts threaten science of farming

Knowing weather patterns is part of farmers’ skillset, helping them protect their land and profits.

But a North Dakota producer worries about the future of those tools as the Trump administration cuts staff at the National Weather Service.

Reports surfaced late last week that hundreds of probationary employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were let go as the Trump administration re-shapes the federal workforce through massive layoffs.

Additional layoffs are excepted. The National Weather Service is a component of NOAA, and North Dakota Farmer Tyler Stafslien said it’s a tremendous asset.

“If you’re considering planting in the spring, and you go to the NWS website and you see that there’s gonna be a ton of moisture in ten days or seven days from now,” said Stafslien, “you might go a little harder to try to get the crop in, knowing that likely you’re going to have to shut down when that moisture gets there.”

Stafslien added that long-range weather outlooks help avoid planting too much fertilizer.

He said there are other weather sources he pays for, but the free National Weather Service forecasts tend to be more accurate.

It’s unclear how the layoffs will impact operations, but observers say even small disruptions to data collection for forecast models could hinder accuracy.

The administration says massive layoffs are needed to cut waste.

Beyond the Weather Service cuts, Stafslien said he worries about another trade war taking shape under a new Trump administration. This week, tariffs involving Canada and Mexico could go into effect.

Stafslien said he felt the impact of similar moves during Trump’s first term. He eventually got emergency relief, but stressed that’s not something farmers want to plan for.

“We’d rather not have to wonder,” said Stafslien, “whether or not there will be some ad-hoc disaster program that’s keep us from going into bankruptcy, frankly.”

Advocates for independent farmers say they want policymakers to instead help find other global markets to send their products to.

Stafslien, a North Dakota Farmers Union board member, said he also worries about U.S. Department of Agriculture layoffs hurting farmers in need of technical assistance for loan applications or navigating conservation programs.

He said he’s still waiting on full payment for sustainability efforts.

The agency is trying to rehire some staff that had been focused on bird-flu mitigation.

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