‘A mistake and a disservice to farmers’: Top USDA official in WA fired with no explanation

WASHINGTON – The top U.S. Department of Agriculture official in Washington state responsible for farm loans, disaster assistance and conservation programs was suddenly fired on Wednesday without explanation, according to multiple farmers who spoke with him.

Jon Wyss had served as Washington state executive director of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency since May, when he was appointed for a third stint after serving in both the first Trump administration and the Biden administration in the same role. The FSA’s Spokane Valley office administers programs the state’s farmers and ranchers rely on during times of uncertainty, such as the recent fluctuations in commodity prices related to the Trump administration’s trade policies.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Sunnyside farmer and Republican who represents central Washington, said in a statement that he had voiced his concerns to the USDA and the White House, calling Wyss “a true advocate for farmers in Washington state.”

“His experience, relationships with producers, and firsthand understanding of the challenges in farm country give producers an ally in the federal government,” said Newhouse, a member of the House Agriculture Committee. “Jon’s firing is a mistake and a disservice to farmers who need a strong leader at the Farm Service Agency, especially now, when times are tough.”

The USDA did not immediately respond to questions about Wyss’ firing. When reached by email, Wyss declined to comment.

Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, said Wyss has won the support of many growers for his “unwavering, farmer-first mentality” and said his firing “increases uncertainty for farmers in some of the most challenging conditions we’ve seen in a generation.”

“We support Jon, and this is very bad news for Washington state agriculture,” Hennings said. “This was his third appointment. Wheat growers were extremely happy with him.”

Andy Juris, who grows wheat in Klickitat County, said Wyss called him Wednesday afternoon to say he had been asked to clean out his desk, with no warning or explanation.

Juris said Wyss had been a reliable partner to farmers, citing the USDA official’s work to fix the Conservation Reserve Program, a voluntary program that pays farmers to plant trees and native grasses on land near waterways and other environmentally sensitive areas. The rate farmers were paid to effectively rent that property had become too low to cover costs, Juris said, and Wyss brought together different USDA offices to stabilize the program.

“I think he really took the ‘service’ aspect of Farm Service Agency seriously,” Juris said. “I’m really going to miss working with him.”

William “Jay” Gordon, policy director for the Washington State Dairy Federation, said Wyss told him Wednesday that he suspected his firing may be related to his work on another conservation program that began in 1998, known as CREP, intended to pay farmers to aid in salmon and steelhead habitat restoration efforts along streams in Washington state.

The Capital Press reported that Wyss oversaw an audit of the program that found in 2024 that more than 400 farmers may have been issued faulty contracts because the Washington State Conservation Commission and the FSA, before Wyss’s tenure, had failed to update a map that determined eligibility for the program. Gordon said Wyss had advocated for farmers not to be penalized for the mistake because the state and federal agencies were at fault.

A spokeswoman for the Washington State Conservation Commission, Jessica Wilson, said the FSA, and not the state agency, is responsible for issuing contracts under the CREP program. She added that the Conservation Commission updated the maps the FSA used to determine eligibility every time a stream segment was added, as required by law.

Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said in an email that he learned of Wyss’s firing on Thursday morning.

“This came as a great surprise,” DeVaney wrote. “Mr. Wyss has been an active and effective advocate for the Trump administration’s policies during both terms, as well as having strong and collaborative relationships with Washington’s diverse agricultural producers.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 30 to amend a quote from Michelle Hennings, and was updated on Nov. 3 to include a response from the Washington State Conservation Commission.