The USDA terminated more employees Thursday, including a horticulturist conducting hops research at the Washington State University research center in Prosser, Wash.

The agency’s Agricultural Research Service fired probationary employees, according to sources. Francisco “Paco” Gonzalez said he received an email Thursday evening informing he was immediately dismissed from his research position in Prosser.

“It was heartbreaking,” Gonzalez said. “It puts my entire life upside down.”

Gonzalez, 36, was one month short of completing a three-year probationary period. His technical assistant, Brandon Sandoval, about two months short of ending his probation period, was also terminated.

As a probationary employee, Gonzalez’s position was not final. The email said he was being fired “based on your performance,” but didn’t give specifics. Gonzalez said he had no idea he was going to be dismissed and was working on retrieving his performance reviews.

USDA released a list of cuts Friday focusing on savings such as $254,000 for diversity dialogue workshops and $374,000 for diversity, equity and inclusion onboarding, but did not refer to cuts to research scientists.

The USDA said in a statement it was embracing cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency and was aggressively eliminating unnecessary positions.

“I welcome DOGE’s efforts at USDA because we know that its work makes us better, stronger, faster and more efficient,” new Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

Gonzalez was doing important work on the water needs of hops, said Maggie Elliot, science and communications director for the Washington Hops Commission and Hop Growers of America.

“In the past three years, he’s really been able to build a research facility and do a great service to our industry,” Elliot said. “It’s been a huge shock.”

Other USDA-ARS probationary employees also were fired, including three scientists in Corvallis, Gonzalez said. Efforts to reach USDA-ARS for comment were unsuccessful. Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported the firing of probationary employees took place throughout USDA-ARS.

Gonzalez said he, with Sandoval’s assistance, had established hop plants to conduct research irrigating under warmer and drier conditions. “We were ready to take off,” he said. “We had some amazing plans.”

Gonzalez earned his doctorate from Washington State University in horticulture, agronomy and crop science in 2021.

He said he doesn’t know what he will do now. He and his wife have two daughters, ages 5 and 7. Research positions are rare, he said. “We’re scrounging for another job.”