Ag Policy Blog

OMAHA (DTN) -- Thousands of USDA employees will have to decide shortly before or after Independence Day if they are willing to relocate to keep their jobs.

With New World screwworm, fertilizer costs and markets, the USDA reorganization might be getting lost in the shuffle; but activity is picking up quickly for workers across a range of USDA agencies.

Questions about the reorganization could come up Wednesday when Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testifies before the Senate Agriculture Committee. Democrats on the committee have pressed USDA multiple times over the past month about job moves.

More reports have also come out recently about specific agencies and relocation announcements. A lot of staff at USDA are only now learning they need to decide within weeks if they are going to relocate or look for another job.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported workers in the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) -- formerly the Food and Nutrition Service -- in Minnesota have been told they need to move to Indianapolis to keep their jobs. The Star-Tribune reported Minnesota lost just under 400 USDA employees since the Trump administration began. Workers also were told by an email in April that, while they must move, they may not have the same job once they get to Indianapolis.

Polling by the National Treasury Employees Union found 80% of FNA employees in Washington, D.C., would rather quit their jobs than relocate this summer.

Federal News Network also reported last week about notifications going out to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), whose workers have a June 30 deadline to make their decision about relocating. If workers don't want to relocate, they will be considered "involuntarily separated" at the end of September.

As Jerry Hagstrom reported, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, led a letter with 19 other senators last week to USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden about concerns for relocating more than 200 FSIS employees.

A large number of the FSIS employees are expected to move to regional offices in Iowa and Georgia.

In order to save USDA some government moving costs for relocating potentially thousands of employees, the department also issued a memo at the end of May changing how it covers relocations. Normally, USDA pays an average of $50,600 per move. A new formula shifts more financial risks for moving costs to employees, though employees will get a calculated upfront payment. At the same time, USDA's new reimbursement plan also recognizes the department is moving employees to some cities that have extremely tight housing markets, which could lead to employees receiving a stipend depending on rental vacancy rates.

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3403 concluded the new relocation reimbursement could shift anywhere between $9,000 to $14,000 in expenses onto employees moving from Washington, D.C., to Kansas City, Missouri, for instance.

In May, Klobuchar and 23 other senators also wrote Vaden questioning the reorganization of the Research, Education, and Economics mission areas.

"As strong supporters of USDA's research agencies, it is our goal to make sure the REE mission functions as Congress intends -- focused on helping farmers, ranchers, and rural communities overcome the challenges they face through scientific innovation and complex data analysis," the senators wrote.

AFGE Local 3403 represents employees from the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Their survey found roughly three-quarters of ERS and NIFA employees do not plan to move to Kansas City. That was essentially what happened with the first Trump administration moved NIFA and ERS staff to Kansas City in 2019. The vast majority opted not to go.

NIFA staff received their letters Monday stating they have 30 days to decide whether they are relocating to Kansas City, by the end of September.

Employees at the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) also received a similar notice for a move to St. Louis.

National Public Radio over the weekend reported on the Forest Service relocation plan. The headquarters of the agency will move to Salt Lake City. All nine regional offices will close but 15 state directors scattered across the country will be created to replace those offices. It's been widely reported that 57 out of 77 Forest Service research facilities are set for closure across 31 states. Research leadership for the agency will move to Fort Collins, Colorado. USDA officials have said the changes will save money.

"We are prioritizing the fundamentals of managing our national forest for their intended purposes and ensuring maximum value to the American taxpayer," Forest Service Chief Tom Schulz said at an April budget hearing. "We've got to make sure that we live within our means."

NPR, however, pointed out several leases for facilities being closed cost the federal government $1 a year for rent. Some facilities are cheap because of agreements with the local universities. The facility in Fort Collins costs the Forest Service $1 million a year to rent, NPR reported. Forest Service employees said the details of the reorganization suggest nobody bothered to look at the costs of what the Forest Service owns or doesn't. Employees contend the relocation sites were selected for reasons other than cost savings.

Hagstrom also reported that the Government Accountability Project on Monday said the plan to move the Forest Service and close dozens of research facilities would affect more than 1,900 employees who would have to relocate -- significantly higher than 500 estimated by the agency. The report also highlighted the Forest Service has already had to divert $64.5 million in funds just to pay employees that took earlier USDA buyouts and early retirement programs.

Another aspect raised by NPR's report is USDA officials continue to say the relocations are being done to move people closer to the people they serve. The closures and consolidation, at least in the Forest Service, runs counter to that.

"It's important to recognize that in the Forest Service, we end up being kind of the convener of different interests," Morgan Grove, a Forest Service scientist in Baltimore, Maryland, told NPR. "And if you're trying to convene from Denver or Salt Lake City, they no longer see you as being part of their community."

See also: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, https://www.startribune.com/….

Federal News Service article, https://marylandmatters.org/….

NPR, https://www.npr.org/….

And, "From New Deal Icon to Aging Infrastructure, USDA Weighs Closing South Building," https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN

(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.