What USDA’s Major Reorganization Will Look Like

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins recently announced a major reorganization of the USDA, aiming to realign its operations with its founding mission of supporting American farmers, ranchers, and foresters. The changes are intended to address longstanding inefficiencies, reduce costs, and improve service delivery to USDA’s agricultural stakeholders..

The Department emphasized that essential functions, such as fire response and food safety, will not be interrupted. Earlier this year, Secretary Rollins issued a memorandum exempting 52 critical position classifications from the federal hiring freeze, covering roles vital to national security, food inspection, and forest protection. These positions will continue to be staffed, although relocations may occur.

Rollins says the reorganization seeks to serve agricultural producers more directly by decentralizing USDA operations. “We are moving key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country,” she says, adding that the process will be conducted transparently and with respect for USDA employees.

The reorganization is based on four core objectives: aligning workforce size with available funding and priorities, bringing USDA closer to its stakeholders, reducing bureaucratic layers, and consolidating redundant support functions.

As part of this restructuring, USDA plans to relocate much of its National Capital Region (NCR) staff to five regional hub cities — Raleigh, NC; Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT. These locations were selected based on existing USDA employee concentrations and cost-of-living considerations. Currently, USDA employs about 4,600 individuals in the NCR, but expects to reduce that number to fewer than 2,000 post-reorganization.

The Department will vacate several underutilized and high-maintenance buildings, including the South Building, Braddock Place, and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The South Building alone has $1.3 billion in deferred maintenance and an occupancy well below capacity. To manage workforce costs, USDA also is continuing voluntary separation initiatives. So far, 15,364 employees have opted for the Deferred Retirement Program (DRP), a voluntary resignation tool. This reorganization marks the first phase of a multi-month process.

For more information, visit usda.gov.