The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is undergoing a significant reorganization, aiming to refocus its operations on supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the changes, citing a 8% workforce growth and 14.5% salary increase over the last four years without a corresponding increase in service to the agricultural sector. The reorganization, which will occur in phases, is designed to align the USDA’s workforce with available financial resources and agricultural priorities, bring the department closer to its customers, eliminate management layers and bureaucracy, and consolidate redundant support functions.
A key aspect of the reorganization is the relocation of much of the USDA’s Agency headquarters and National Capital Region (NCR) staff out of the Washington, D.C. area to five hub locations: Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah. The department currently has approximately 4,600 employees within the NCR, and the goal is to reduce this number to no more than 2,000. The USDA will vacate and return several buildings to the General Services Administration, including the South Building, Braddock Place, and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.
The reorganization is expected to have significant implications for the USDA and the agricultural sector. By relocating staff to areas with a lower cost of living, the department hopes to provide a more affordable cost of living for its employees while also bringing its services closer to the people it serves. However, the reorganization also involves a reduction in the USDA’s workforce, which could potentially impact the quality and quantity of services provided to farmers and ranchers.
The announcement has drawn criticism from some members of Congress, with House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) expressing concern that the reorganization could result in a massive brain drain and significant loss of productivity at the USDA. Craig cited a 2023 study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found productivity declined at the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture after they were relocated from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City, MO. The study also found that employee diversity at the two agencies declined precipitously.
The USDA has emphasized that all critical functions of the Department will continue uninterrupted, and that employees may be subject to relocation. The department has also noted that it will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country. The reorganization is only the first phase of a multi-month process, and USDA senior leadership will notify offices with more information on relocation to one of the regional hubs over the next month.