Raleigh has been named one of five new US Department of Agriculture hub locations. As part of a nationwide restructuring plan announced by Secretary Brooke Rollins on July 24, the agency aims to move closer to the communities it serves.
“American agriculture feeds, clothes, and fuels this nation and the world, and it is long past time the Department better serve the great and patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers we are mandated to support,” said Secretary Rollins in a press release. “President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country. We will do so through a transparent and common-sense process that preserves USDA’s critical health and public safety services the American public relies on. We will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country.”
To bring the USDA closer to the people it supports and provide a more affordable cost of living to government employees, the USDA says it has developed a plan to relocate a significant portion of the agency’s headquarters and National Capital Region (NCR) staff to five hub locations. Raleigh has been chosen as one of those five locations, with a federal locality rate of 22.24%. The remaining four hub locations are Kansas City, Missouri, at 18.97%; Indianapolis, Indiana, at 18.15%; Fort Collins, Colorado, at 30.52% and Salt Lake City, Utah, at 17.06%.
The USDA reorganization is built around four key pillars.
- First, it aims to ensure that the size of the USDA’s workforce is appropriately aligned with its available financial resources and the nation’s agricultural priorities.
- Second, it seeks to bring the USDA closer to its customers, enhancing responsiveness and service delivery.
- Third, the reorganization is designed to eliminate excessive management layers and reduce bureaucratic obstacles that hinder efficiency.
- Fourth, it intends to consolidate redundant support functions to streamline operations and improve overall effectiveness.
Critical functions of the USDA will continue without interruption. It is the height of fire season, and the USDA has exceeded hiring goals and maintained the ability to continue hiring.
This contrasts with North Carolina, the nation’s No. 1 state at risk for wildfires. North Carolina has two fire seasons: one in the spring and one in the fall. Steve Troxler, commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), emphasized to lawmakers earlier this year that the department is overworked and understaffed with more than 300 open positions, including 100 in the NC Forest Service division.
Earlier this year, Rollins issued a memorandum exempting national security and public safety positions from a federal hiring freeze. 52 position classifications perform duties essential to “the safety and security of the American people,” which includes national forests and the safety and inspection of the nation’s agriculture and food supply system.
Over the past four years, the USDA has expanded its workforce by 8%, accompanied by a 14.5% increase in employee salaries. This growth includes hiring thousands of employees without a clear, long-term funding strategy. Despite these increases, there has been no measurable improvement in the delivery of services to USDA’s primary stakeholders within the agricultural community.
Additionally, the agency said its presence in the National Capital Region (NCR) remains underutilized and redundant, marked by excessive spending, prolonged mismanagement, and costly deferred maintenance. In alignment with President Trump’s directive for increased accountability across government agencies, this comprehensive review of USDA painted a picture of an organization burdened by inefficiency, high costs, and an unsustainable operational model.
The reorganization is part of the USDA’s process of reducing its workforce to ensure the USDA can continue to afford its’ workforce. A significant portion of this reduction was achieved through voluntary retirements and the Deferred Retirement Program (DRP), an optional initiative.
This is phase one of a many-month-long process. USDA officials will continue to notify offices with more information regarding relocation to regional hubs.
The USDA currently employs around 4,600 individuals in the NCR, one of the most expensive areas in the country, with a federal salary locality rate of 33.94%. When selecting new hub locations, the USDA considered the existing distribution of its workforce and regional cost-of-living factors. Although Washington DC, will continue to support operations across all USDA mission areas following the reorganization, the USDA anticipates that no more than 2,000 employees will remain in the NCR.
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