The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will soon be moving many of its major operations out of Washington, D.C. and into Indianapolis and four other regional hub locations.
U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Thursday that USDA will be “moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country.”
The other four hub locations are Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The move is part of an announced reorganization of the agency to bring USDA closer to its customers, eliminate management layers and bureaucracy, consolidate redundant support functions, and ensure the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources and agricultural priorities.
The agency also says the move provides “a more affordable cost of living for USDA employees,” and says that Washington, D.C. has one of the highest costs of living in the country.
USDA says that Washington, D.C. will still serve as a headquarters, but with only 2,000 of its current 4,600 employees working in our nation’s capital.
In June, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), as well as many other ag leaders from Indiana, met with Secretary Rollins at her office in Washington, D.C. to pitch Indiana as the site for one of the hubs.
“I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary Rollins for recognizing the strength and vision our state and agricultural leaders demonstrated during our meeting,” said Sen. Banks in a statement on social media. “This is a win-win for Indiana and taxpayers. It means real economic growth here at home and an agency that’s more efficient and focused on what matters most.”
“Indiana is proud to be one of five states chosen for USDA’s reorganization out of D.C. and closer to the farmers and producers who feed, clothe, and fuel America,” said Governor Mike Braun (R-IN) in a statement. “Indiana is an agricultural powerhouse and we look forward to welcoming the USDA employees who will be based here in our great state and working even closer with Secretary Rollins and USDA as they fulfill President Trump’s mission to put American farmers first.”
The agency says its senior leadership will notify offices with more information on relocation to one of the regional hubs. USDA has not yet announced a location for the Indianapolis hub, nor has it specified which services and personnel will be locating to Indy.
