USDA chooses Indianapolis as location of one of 5 regional hubs

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis will be one of five regional hubs as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA officials announced on Thursday.

This is a part of the department’s reorganization, according to a news release from the department. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said that this will help the department refocus its operations “to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching and forestry.”

As part of the USDA’s reorganization, the department announced a phased plan to relocate its agency headquarters and its staff from the Washington D.C. area to five hub locations, including:

• Indianapolis
• Salt Lake City
• Fort Collins, Colorado
• Raleigh, North Carolina
• Kansas City, Missouri

The release said that the department’s reorganization consists of four main pillars, including:

• 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.

Officials said this is the first phase in a multi-month process. Leadership said they will notify offices with more information on relocation to one of the regional hubs. The release stressed that all “critical functions of the department will continue uninterrupted.”

The release also said the department reduced its workforce, the majority of which they said was through voluntary retirements and the Deferred Retirement Program. As of Thursday, 15,364 individuals from the USDA “voluntarily elected deferred resignation.”

“American agriculture feeds, clothes, and fuels this nation and the world, and it is long past time the Department better serve the great and patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers we are mandated to support. President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country,” said Secretary Rollins. “We will do so through a transparent and common-sense process that preserves USDA’s critical health and public safety services the American public relies on. We will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country.”

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, R-Ind. said in a post on social media that Indiana is proud to have been chosen as a location for one of USDA’s regional hubs.

“Indiana is an agricultural powerhouse and we look forward to welcoming the USDA employees who will be based here in our great state…,” Braun said in a post on social media.

In a post on social media, Indiana’s Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith praised the decision.

“Thank you, Secretary Rollins, for recognizing the important role that Indiana plays in our nation’s agricultural strategy!,” Beckwith said.

Indiana’s two U.S. Senators, U.S. Senator Todd Young, R-Ind. and U.S. Senator Jim Banks, R-Ind., also celebrated the news that one of the hubs would be established in Indianapolis.

“Great to see these services move outside of DC and into places like Indiana that feed our nation,” Young said in a post on social media.

Banks said that last month, he led a group of stakeholders from the state’s agriculture industry to meet with Rollins and pitch Indiana as a location for a hub.

“This is huge news for Indiana. I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary Rollins for recognizing the strength and vision our state and agricultural leaders demonstrated during our meeting last month,” Banks said in a statement provided to FOX59/CBS4. “This is a win-win for Indiana and taxpayers across the country. It means real economic growth here at home and an agency that’s more efficient and focused on what matters most.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind. District 4 also released a statement surrounding the USDA’s announcement on Thursday, stating that he is proud of the decision.

“Our state truly is the crossroads of America, and with our thriving and diverse agricultural industries, Secretary Rollins made an excellent decision in choosing to relocate USDA closer to our farmers,” Baird said in the statement. “Indiana boasts of its diverse agricultural products and exports and is one of the top agricultural states in our country. With our excellent land-grant universities and their extensions, Indiana is also a leader in research and development, making our state uniquely poised to provide our farmers with access to cutting-edge innovations and technologies. I thank Secretary Rollins for her outstanding leadership at USDA and for her continued commitment to prioritizing our great American farmers and producers.”