USDA to Close 259 Domestic Offices, Facilities and Labs

Closures and Other Changes Projected to Save $150 Million Annually

Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the closure of 259 domestic offices, facilities and labs across the country, as well as seven foreign offices. These actions and plans to close or consolidate facility, office and lab operations are part of a plan called “A Blueprint for Stronger Service”. USDA headquarters in Washington D.C., 46 states and 1 U.S. territory will be affected.

The list of agency-specific closures includes:

• Farm Service Agency (FSA): Consolidate 131 county offices in 32 states; more than 2,100 FSA offices remain throughout the United States
• Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS): Close 2 country offices; more than 95 FAS offices remain throughout the world
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): Close 15 APHIS offices in 11 states and 5 APHIS offices in 5 foreign countries; more than 560 APHIS offices remain throughout the United States and 55 remain throughout the world
• Rural Development (RD): Close 43 area and sub offices in 17 states and U.S. territories; approximately 450 RD offices remain throughout the United States
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): Close 24 soil survey offices in 21 states; more than 2,800 NRCS offices remain throughout the United States
• Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS): Close 5 district offices in 5 states; 10 district offices remain throughout the United States
• Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Close 12 programs at 10 locations; more than 240 programs remain throughout the United States
• Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNCS): Close 31 field offices in 28 states; 32 FNCS offices will remain throughout the United States

In its official press release, USDA said that in some cases the offices are no longer staffed or have a very small staff of one or two people; many are within 20 miles of other USDA offices. In other cases, technology improvements, advanced service centers, and broadband service have reduced some need for brick and mortar facilities. In addition to location closings, USDA is implementing a series of other changes that will save taxpayers' money while eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies. These actions will save an estimated $150 million annually, and eventually more based on future realignment of the workforce.

USDA is taking these actions to ensure the Department and its agencies can continue to provide optimal service to the American people within available funding levels. For a full copy of the USDA press release, click here.