(NAFB.com) – USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden said the reorganization of more than half of the current USDA staff in the Washington, D.C., area to five regional hubs across the country will be finished by 2026. In comments to Agri-Pulse, Vaden said the reorganization process, led by Vaden, will have moved over 2,000 USDA employees to five cities, including Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah. However, Civil Eats reported that several provisions in the recently passed agriculture funding bill may make it harder to implement the USDA’s reorganization plans. Several provisions require the agency to get Congressional approval before closing field offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rural Development, and the Farm Service Agency county offices or farm loan officers. Another provision said the Ag Secretary cannot eliminate programs or projects, or relocate offices, programs, and employees, without approval from Congressional appropriations committees.
