Fired U.S. Department of Agriculture workers in Wisconsin are weighing their next steps after a federal board reinstated thousands of the agency’s probationary employees on Wednesday.

The Merit Systems Protection Board ordered the USDA to reinstate around 6,000 probationary staff for 45 days as an investigation continues into firings on or after Feb. 13. The board handles internal disputes and complaints from federal workers.

The decision comes after the Office of Special Counsel asked to pause terminations of the agency’s probationary employees as the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, push to drastically downsize the federal workforce. The USDA said it will abide by the ruling and had no further comment.

Jules Reynolds, a fired USDA employee in Madison, said she had not yet heard anything from the agency. Reynolds worked as a program coordinator for the Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement, or SHARE, initiative at the Dairy Forage Research Center. While the order feels like a “huge win” for federal workers, she said fired employees like her face a great deal of uncertainty.

“I don’t know how it’s going to play out in the days to follow,” Reynolds said. “If I was to be reinstated, it just seems sort of like a logistic nightmare.”

If reinstated, Reynolds said it remains unclear whether she would be terminated after 45 days as the Trump administration has directed agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions” in its workforce.

Reynolds said it feels like a “bad roller coaster ride” that not only affects her, but the center’s ongoing work to conduct research and outreach to farmers.

“That’s certainly not helping research projects gain traction, or outreach with farmers,” Reynolds said. “It’s not helping our work actually proceed.”

While she feels strongly about supporting that work, Reynolds and others also want to understand their rights. She added that she’s now scheduled to pick up bartending shifts in the next couple weeks, adding another layer of complexity.

Rob was fired from his job at the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and he requested anonymity as he’s fighting to get his job back. While the order reinstated employees, he said it’s unclear what might come next.

“I’m going on three weeks without any pay, and I’m trying to find a job. I’ve gotten interviews, and now, all of a sudden, they want to reinstate us,” Rob said. “I’d love to go back. I want to serve my country, just like I did when I was in the Army, but I also don’t want to play these mind games. I want to go back and do my job.”

Westby dairy farmer Darin Von Ruden, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, said reinstating probationary workers would be good for farm country. He said some farmers have experienced issues with frozen federal funding and have struggled to reach staff to address concerns.

“There’s a need for adequate employee staffing to make sure that we have the program availability for farmers to be able to survive in the economic uncertainty that we’re currently in,” Von Ruden said.

The USDA didn’t answer questions about next steps for complying with the order, the number of workers who may be reinstated in Wisconsin or how the order may be affected by Trump’s directive to prepare for mass layoffs.

Wisconsin had 264 employees with the USDA who had served two years or less, according to federal data from September.

The Office of Special Counsel had argued that the firings of probationary staff at the USDA violated regulations and laws that govern “reductions in force.”

The office said that evidence showed the USDA didn’t terminate probationary workers because of poor performance as cited in termination notices, but to reorganize the agency. Under a reduction in force, employees must receive 60 days written notice.

Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris found it reasonable to believe the agency violated regulations on personnel practices. 

The USDA has five working days to show it’s complying with the order.