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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has announced a reorganization plan for the Department of Agriculture. Among the proposed changes is relocating much of its agency headquarters staff out of the Washington, D.C., area to five hub locations – one of which is in Indianapolis.

In addition to Indianapolis, the hub locations are Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

The reason for the relocations, USDA said in a news release, is to bring USDA closer to the people it serves while also providing a more affordable cost of living for USDA employees.

“We’re incredibly excited to hear that Indianapolis was selected as one of the five regional hubs for the USDA in this next phase of reorganization for the agency,” said Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron. “We’ve always known Indiana is an epicenter of agriculture production, but it’s encouraging to see that’s being recognized at the federal level, as well. We look forward to welcoming USDA and their staff to the Hoosier State as they continue their goal of relocating their staff and services closer to the people they serve.”

The reorganization consists of four pillars, USDA said:

• Ensure the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources and agricultural priorities.
• Bring USDA closer to its customers.
• Eliminate management layers and bureaucracy.
• Consolidate redundant support functions.

In selecting its hub locations, USDA said, the department considered where existing concentrations of USDA employees are located and factored in the cost of living. The department currently has approximately 4,600 employees within the National Capital Region (NCR). At the conclusion of the reorganization, while Washington, D.C., will still hold functions for every mission area, USDA expects no more than 2,000 employees will remain in the NCR.

The American Farm Bureau Federation said it is looking forward to learning more about USDA’s plans to create greater efficiencies within the department.

“It is very important that USDA ensure the delivery of essential services and programs for farmers is not disrupted,” AFBF said. “We will closely monitor USDA’s plans as more details are shared.”

This is only the first phase of a multi-month process, Rollins added.