New USDA Plan Focuses on Core Agricultural Mission
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is undergoing a major reorganization to refocus on its core goal—supporting American agriculture. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that this reorganization will reduce costs, cut excess management, and relocate staff from Washington, D.C. to more affordable regions.
USDA’s workforce had grown by 8% over the last four years, with a 14.5% increase in salaries, but without a matching increase in services to farmers and ranchers. Many USDA buildings in the capital region are underused and face costly repairs. For example, the South Building has $1.3 billion in maintenance needs.
The reorganization focuses on four key areas: making the workforce size match available funding, bringing USDA services closer to communities, cutting extra layers of management, and combining repeated support roles.
USDA plans to move employees to five regional hubs: Raleigh, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Fort Collins, and Salt Lake City. These areas have lower living costs and already host USDA offices. Only around 2,000 staff will remain in Washington, D.C., ensuring the department still has a presence there.
Important services like wildfire response, food inspection, and national security roles will continue without interruption. Many staffing reductions will be voluntary, through retirement programs.