Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has recently announced the reorganization of USDA, refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American agriculture.
Thousands of staff will move out of Washington as USDA relocates to five regional hubs. The plan also trims the workforce and returns underused buildings to the federal government.
USDA says all critical services will continue, including food safety and wildfire response.
Click below to read the five-page plan:
Secretary Rollins’ MemorandumThe reorganization consists of four pillars:
- Ensure the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources and agricultural priorities
- Bring USDA closer to its customers
- Eliminate management layers and bureaucracy
- Consolidate redundant support functions
USDA’s five hub locations and current Federal locality rates are:
- Raleigh, North Carolina (22.24%)
- Kansas City, Missouri (18.97%)
- Indianapolis, Indiana (18.15%)
- Fort Collins, Colorado (30.52%)
- Salt Lake City, Utah (17.06%)
Brooke Rollins released the following message to USDA Employees:
Related Stories
Farmers who rely on H-2A workers will see a few key changes to speed up the process and make it fairer. On the ground, producers say labor issues create shortfalls in otherwise productive harvests.
Imported lean beef continues to play a critical role in U.S. hamburger and ground-beef production, with any added volume from Argentina serving as a supplement — not a market overhaul.
Margin Protection and the new MCO add county-level margin tools — with earlier price discovery, input cost triggers, and high subsidy rates — to complement on-farm risk plans for 2026.
Until a phased reopening is inked, plan for tighter feeder availability, firmer basis near border yards, and continued reliance on domestic and Canadian sources.
RFD-TV Markets Expert Tony St. James breaks down the USDA’s newly unveiled plan to rebuild the US beef herd and the industry’s spectrum of responses to it.
Farm CPA Paul Neiffer discusses the status of USDA disaster aid, including delays to Stage 2 of the SDRP program, and what farmers should watch for as lawmakers negotiate an end to the government shutdown.
