U.S. Department of Agriculture announces reorganization

Key Takeaways

On July 24, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a major reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will relocate thousands of federal employees, restructure regional offices and consolidate administrative services and operations. The changes are expected to reduce USDA’s footprint in Washington, D.C. and shift more personnel to regional hubs across the country.

Why USDA matters to counties:

USDA plays a vital role in supporting counties of all sizes through a wide range of programs that strengthen local communities and economies. Nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and school nutrition programs are essential services in every county, helping ensure residents have access to healthy, affordable food. In rural areas, USDA is a key partner in supporting agricultural producers, expanding broadband, investing in infrastructure and driving economic development. Through the U.S. Forest Service, USDA also manages millions of acres of public lands within county jurisdictions, supporting environmental stewardship, wildfire mitigation, outdoor recreation, watershed health and natural resource-based economies.  

Breaking down key changes in reorganization plan:

USDA to Relocate a Significant Share of Headquarters Staff Outside D.C.

In an effort to “bring USDA closer to its customers,” USDA will relocate thousands of employees from the National Capital Region to five regional hubs:

• Raleigh (Wake County, N.C.)
• Kansas City (Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass counties, Mo.)
• Indianapolis (Marion County, Ind.)
• Fort Collins (Larimer County, Colo.)
• Salt Lake City (Salt Lake County, Utah)

These five regional hubs were selected based on existing concentrations of USDA personnel and regional cost-of-living factors. USDA notes that 90 percent of its employees are already based outside the National Capital Region, and that relocating additional staff will place key agency personnel closer to the communities they serve while also reducing costs associated with high federal salary locality rates in USDA’s current footprint.  

While USDA will maintain a presence in Washington, D.C., USDA expects to reduce NCR staffing from approximately 4,600 employees to around 2,000. Vacated buildings with substantial deferred maintenance, such as the South Building in Washington, D.C. and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, will be returned to the General Services Administration.

Planned reductions-in-force (RIFs) through voluntary separation

Earlier this year, USDA had already reduced its workforce by more than 15,000 employees through voluntary retirement and the Deferred Retirement Program. The reorganization is intended to align workforce size with agency resources and priorities. Future reductions may continue based on mission area performance reviews and available budget capacity.

The Department noted that certain public safety and national security roles, including wildfire response, food safety inspection and emergency coordination, will be exempt from workforce reduction efforts, although some employees in these roles may be subject to relocation.

USDA to streamline management structure and consolidate support functions

USDA will eliminate or consolidate several regional and administrative layers across multiple mission areas to reduce overhead and align with the five new regional hubs.

Agency and program realignments

• The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will eliminate its Area Offices, with remaining functions absorbed by the Office of National Programs
• The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will consolidate its 12 regions into five aligned with the USDA hubs over a multi-year period
• The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will reduce its regions from seven to five and align with USDA hubs and Service Centers over the next two years
• The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will eliminate its nine Regional Offices within the next year. Stand-alone Research Stations will be consolidated into a single location in Fort Collins, Colorado. The agency will retain a reduced state office in Juneau, Alaska; a service center in Athens, Georgia; and two research facilities, the Fire Sciences Lab and the Forest Products Lab
• The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will realign its regional structure to match the USDA hubs
• The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will maintain its current centers, which are already located within USDA hub cities

Support function consolidations

• Grants and financial assistance administration will be consolidated to improve oversight and efficiency. In some cases, programs may be transferred out of USDA to other federal agencies or departments
• Civil rights, FOIA, legislative affairs and communications functions will be centralized under their respective department-wide offices
• Budget, finance, IT, human resources and contracting functions will be consolidated under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, with dedicated teams retained for wildland firefighting and commodity procurement
• Tribal relations will be centralized within the Office of Tribal Relations, with functional integration into mission areas
• Student programs currently managed by the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement will be transferred to ARS to eliminate overlap

These structural changes are intended to consolidate administrative functions while maintaining the delivery of core services.

Ensuring continued county engagement with USDA:

The USDA reorganization represents a significant operational shift with potential long-term implications for how counties interact with federal programs and personnel. While USDA has indicated that core services will continue, counties are encouraged to stay informed and engaged as these changes are implemented. Counties should monitor:

• Potential changes in local USDA staffing or office locations
• Shifts in program delivery timelines or points of contact
• Impacts on access to grant funding, technical assistance or emergency response coordination

NACo will continue to engage with USDA leadership to ensure counties remain key partners in the design and delivery of USDA programs. Counties are encouraged to share feedback with NACo to inform advocacy and help ensure continued service continuity at the local level.