• In a pair of April 23rd announcements USDA indicated that it is making organizational changes to its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and its Research, Education, and Economic (REE) mission area that would move many of its personnel outside of the Washington, DC region. On April 30th it also announced changes to the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services mission area including the reorganization of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) into the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA). This move would also relocate personnel to outside of the DC region.
  • FSIS changes: USDA plan to establish a new National Food Safety Center (NFSC) in Urbandale, Iowa, which will serve as the primary hub for FSIS administrative, technical, and support operations and will be its largest office with about 200 employees. FSIS will also establish a science center in Athens, Georgia which will expand its capabilities in microbiology, chemistry, and epidemiology, and an office in Fort Collins, Colorado to support international activities. The changes to FSIS will relocate approximately 200 of its DC region workforce to outside of the region but will not impact its inspection personnel which represent 85% of its employees.
  • Research, Education, and Economic (REE) mission area changes: The REE is composed of four agencies— the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Economic Research Service (ERS), the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)—and supports U.S. agriculture through research, analysis, and education. The announced changes include: (1) ERS and NIFA will relocate personnel, including from the DC region, to offices in Kansas City, (2) NASS will relocate personnel, including from the DC region, to St. Louis and other offices, and (3) ARS will begin to decommission its Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the research functions of which will be distributed to other locations. The number of workers to be relocated with these changes was not announced.
  • Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services mission area changes: The changes include reorganizing the Food, Nutrition Services (FNS), which administered nutrition assistance programs, into the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA). The programs will be relocated to regional hubs in Indianapolis, Dallas, Kansas City (MO), Raleigh, and Denver. The FNA Administrator and a small footprint will remain in DC.