USDA reorganizes FSIS, research agencies outside DC 

The Trump administration today announced reorganizations of the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Research, Education and Economics mission area, both to relocate staff outside the Washington metropolitan area. 

Food Safety and Inspection Service changes

USDA said it will establish a new National Food Safety Center in Urbandale, Iowa, which will serve as the primary hub for FSIS administrative, technical and support operations.

“This is about building a stronger, more resilient food safety system for the country,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

“By establishing a National Food Safety Center in Iowa and expanding our scientific capabilities, USDA is ensuring that the Food Safety and Inspection Service is positioned where it can best support American agriculture and protect public health,” Rollins said.

“This is on top the last year of work at the department to put science and safety first at FSIS. President Trump is committed to ensuring American consumers have the safest, most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. We are ensuring the American people can trust their food is safe and healthy with gold standard processes and inspections.

“These changes reflect our commitment to modernizing the department while staying focused on delivering results for the American people,” Rollins said.

“We are taking a hard look at how FSIS operates and making targeted changes to improve how the agency functions day to day,” said Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden.

“Consolidating support operations in Iowa, strengthening scientific work in Georgia, and aligning staff with mission needs will reduce duplication and improve accountability. This approach ensures that resources are used efficiently while maintaining the high standards the public expects from our food safety system,” Vaden said.

“FSIS is a field-based public health agency, with the vast majority of our workforce serving on the frontlines in establishments across the country,” said FSIS Administrator Justin Ransom.

“This reorganization strengthens how we support those employees by bringing key training, policy, and technical expertise into closer alignment with their work,” Ransom said. “The National Food Safety Center will help us better prepare and support our workforce while also creating new opportunities to attract and develop the next generation of food safety professionals.”

FSIS will use existing USDA space in Urbandale to establish the new National Food Safety Center, which with approximately 200 employees will become the agency’s largest office, the Trump administration said. 

FSIS will also establish a Science Center in Athens, Ga., building on the existing Eastern Field Services Laboratory and expanding its capabilities in microbiology, chemistry and epidemiology, USDA said.

Approximately 200 positions will be moved from Washington D.C., while roughly 100 positions will remain to support congressional engagement, policy development and interagency coordination.

FSIS will also establish a presence in Fort Collins, Colo., for staff supporting international activities, “further aligning the agency with USDA’s broader geographic footprint,” USDA said.

The reorganization does not impact FSIS’ inspection workforce, which represents 85% of employees and operates across more than 6,800 regulated establishments, the administration said, with all food safety inspection activities and public health protections to continue without interruption.

The FSIS reorganization does not include any reduction in force, it said, with all employees to retain positions within the agency.

Research, Education and Economics area changes

Within the Research, Education and Economics mission area, the Trump administration said:

Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture employees will relocate some positions from the national capital region to their offices in Kansas City. 

“In addition, ERS and NIFA positions that were moved to Kansas City in 2019 and have since sprawled across the country will be relocated to Kansas City, as originally intended,” the news release said. The first Trump administration relocation of ERS and NIFA to Kansas City resulted in massive resignations from those agencies. 

The National Agricultural Statistics Service will relocate some positions located in the Washington area, as well as some positions outside it, to St. Louis or other NASS offices. NASS will also be maintaining a field presence to continue to collect information and provide vital statistical services to American farmers and ranchers, the news release said. 

The Agricultural Research Service will begin decommissioning the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and relocating research programs to facilities across the country better aligned with regional agricultural needs,” the release said.

“BARC currently includes more than 400 buildings, many of which are outdated or underutilized, and requires significant deferred maintenance and ongoing investment. Transitioning these programs will allow USDA to modernize its research footprint, improve safety, and better connect researchers with the producers they serve,” the administration said.

“ARS has evaluated its nationwide footprint to identify locations best suited to absorb ongoing research, ensuring continuity while increasing opportunities for collaboration with farmers and industry partners.”

The Office of the Chief Scientist “will continue to provide scientific leadership across USDA while upholding the highest standards of research integrity and advancing critical priorities,” the release said.

REE’s Business Center “will expand its role in supporting mission-critical operations, streamlining administrative functions and improving efficiency across agencies.”

Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the reorganization would bring to North Dakota 45 additional Agricultural Research Service employees and 10 new research projects totaling approximately $28.5 million in annual research that will be reassigned from BARC. 

USDA’s reorganization will include moving two research projects totaling $3.8 million and 17 ARS employees to Fargo, N.D., and Grand Forks, N.D., will receive eight new research projects totaling $24.7 million and 28 ARS employees, Hoeven said.

“With North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, Grand Farm, and our existing ARS facilities, North Dakota is already a premier agriculture research hub, so it only makes sense that USDA would bring new, ongoing research projects and additional ARS employees to our state as part of efforts to refocus USDA on its core missions,” said Hoeven.

“We appreciate Secretary Rollins for recognizing North Dakota’s ag research leadership and utilizing our state more fully in USDA’s work. USDA’s reorganization plan will expand North Dakota’s ag research leadership and keep our state at the forefront in helping our agriculture producers increase their productivity and success.”