USDA reorganization plan draws concern from ag organizations

A reorganization plan to relocate much of the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) staff from Washington, D.C. has drawn concern from dozens of agricultural organizations.

USDA is also restructuring its rural development mission area, shifting select positions to St. Louis, Missouri, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, to manage loan and grant processing.

The relocation of FAS operational support positions to Kansas City, Missouri, and Beltsville, Maryland, prompted a letter (.pdf) from potato and specialty crop organizations to congressional leaders. Signees including the National Potato Council, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Organic Farming Research Foundation expressed concern that the personnel relocations and shifting oversight roles could disrupt vital regulatory services, delay program management and weaken market access advocacy.

The restructuring also modifies operations within the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): 

• New leadership: Kelly Moore will serve as the permanent APHIS administrator.
• Program alignment: APHIS is altering its Plant Protection and Quarantine program to “strengthen national plant health leadership and unify policy and operational functions.”
• Reducing silos: AMS will transfer commodity-specific operations to appropriate service programs. Notably, oversight of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) will shift directly to the Specialty Crops Program.

USDA has said that these organizational adjustments will not affect overseas diplomatic posts or result in reductions in force.

Reorganization plans announced last year drew scrutiny and led to July 2025 Senate committee hearings.