Secretary Brooke Rollins outlines plans to decentralize USDA operations and bring government closer to the people.
USDA Announces Sweeping Department Reorganization
In a significant shift aimed at restructuring the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the agency will undergo a major reorganization. The changes, announced last week, are designed to streamline USDA operations, improve efficiency, and bring the department closer to the communities it serves.
Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet:
According to Secretary Rollins, the reorganization includes a number of key initiatives:
- Reducing bureaucracy and eliminating unnecessary layers of management
- Consolidating redundant support functions
- Aligning workforce size with budget realities and agricultural priorities
- Moving agency headquarters staff out of Washington, D.C. to regional hubs
Five New Regional Hubs
As part of the relocation effort, much of USDA’s national staff will move from the nation’s capital to five designated hub cities:
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Salt Lake City, Utah
This relocation strategy is intended to bring USDA operations closer to its primary stakeholders—farmers, ranchers, producers, and rural communities—while simultaneously cutting costs and improving service delivery.
Workforce Adjustments Through Voluntary Programs
Secretary Rollins also emphasized that the department will rely on voluntary retirements and a deferred retirement program to help align staffing levels with USDA’s budget and mission. These steps aim to ensure financial sustainability while minimizing disruptions to current employees.
A Vision Aligned with the Founding Fathers
In a televised interview with Bill Hemmer on Fox News, Secretary Rollins linked the initiative to a broader philosophy of governance. She explained, “From the beginning, he talked about draining the swamp,” referencing a decade-old promise from the administration to reduce the influence of entrenched federal bureaucracy.
Rollins added, “This is literally what he has tasked his cabinet to do—to deconstruct the administrative state in Washington, D.C.” She described the move as consistent with the vision of the founding fathers, who believed government should remain close to the people it serves.
Supporting America’s Diverse Needs
The USDA is one of the largest federal departments with wide-ranging responsibilities—from managing food assistance programs like SNAP, to overseeing wildfire response through the nation’s largest firefighting contingency. Rollins emphasized that decentralizing USDA operations will improve service in all these areas by making the agency more accessible to local communities.
“We’re getting closer to our constituents—the farmers, the ranchers, the producers, the firefighters,” said Rollins. “It’ll be cheaper, it’ll be more efficient, and we’ll be able to do better.”
Conclusion
The USDA’s reorganization marks a significant shift in how federal agricultural programs are managed and delivered. By relocating its workforce and refocusing on field-level service, the department aims to make government more responsive, effective, and connected to the people it serves.