USDA Announces Major Reorganization, Relocation of Employees | Civil Eats

USDA Announces Major Reorganization, Relocation of Employees

The agency will begin a months-long shift to move its workforce away from Washington, D.C., and into five regional hubs, primarily in the Midwest.

By Matthew Wheeland

July 24, 2025

July 24, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this morning announced a significant reorganization of the agency that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said would “ensure all agencies are efficiently and effectively delivering services to our constituents.”

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In a five-page memorandum and an unlisted YouTube video aimed at USDA employees, Rollins laid out the details of the plan, which includes four key pillars:

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

The plan notes that the agency will move “much of” its 4,600 D.C. area employees out of the capital, eliminating what it calls “a bloated, expensive, and unsustainable organization.” Rollins said that the five hubs, where most D.C. staff will be relocated, will bring the USDA closer to its “core constituents.” Those hubs are located in:

Raleigh, North Carolina
Kansas City, Missouri
Indianapolis, Indiana
Fort Collins, Colorado
Salt Lake City, Utah

The move builds on Rollins’ testimony to Congress in May that the agency was close to finalizing its plan to restructure and shrink the USDA. During the first Trump administration, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue led a similar effort to reorganize and relocate USDA employees. The Biden administration worked to undo those efforts, but the reorganization of two offices within the USDA resulted in a loss of half their staff, and similar moves in the Bureau of Land Management led to an exodus of leadership during the first Trump administration.

Rollins’ message to USDA employees is below; Civil Eats will continue to report on this plan as the details take shape. (Link to this post.)

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