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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsUSDA has proposed moving staff into regional hubs and decommissioning the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, but those changes should not be described as completed. As of October 8, 2026, a temporary court stay had paused most relocation deadlines through October 13 while a judge considered whether to issue a preliminary injunction.
What is USDA changing?
The proposal combines a shift toward regional offices with changes to research and agency operations. USDA’s stated rationale, as reported by Agri-Pulse in September 2025, was to place more employees where the department already had staff and vacant office space, and where living costs were lower than in Washington. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden said, “It makes sense to locate more people where we already have people, and where there is vacant office space available.”
USDA set an August 26, 2025, deadline for comments on the plan and later extended it to September 30, 2025. Subsequent announcements described additional proposed moves and a new food-safety center; they establish plans, not proof that the relocations or closure have been completed.
How the regional hub list changed
The hub locations have not been described identically in reporting over time. Agri-Pulse’s September 2025 account listed five cities; a September 2026 report listed a different fifth location.
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| Report date | Five locations named | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| September 2025, Agri-Pulse | Raleigh, North Carolina; Indianapolis; Kansas City; Fort Collins, Colorado; Salt Lake City | Initial list described in the 2025 plan coverage. |
| September 2026, reporting on the active plan | Kansas City; Raleigh; Dallas/Fort Worth; Fort Collins; Salt Lake City | Dallas/Fort Worth appears in place of Indianapolis in this later description. |
These are dated descriptions of the plan, not confirmation that every hub is operating or that every employee has moved.
Which agencies and facilities are involved?
In April 2026, Agri-Pulse reported USDA plans to decommission the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Maryland, move Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) positions from the National Capital Region to Kansas City, and establish a National Food Safety Center in Urbandale, Iowa. “Decommission” and “move” describe proposed actions in that report; the reviewed coverage does not establish that BARC has closed or all the positions have relocated.
Why are farm groups, researchers and nutrition organizations concerned?
Organizations commenting on the plan raised concerns about possible effects on staffing, service, research, data, nutrition programs and access to decision-makers. Those are their assessments and predictions; they are not, by themselves, evidence that the predicted disruption has occurred.
| Organization or group | Concern it raised |
|---|---|
| American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) | Supported creating regional hubs but urged USDA to keep decision-makers in Washington and preserve continuity of critical programs, citing access and collaboration with department leadership. |
| National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) | Urged USDA to protect county and regional staffing, fill vacancies before further consolidation, and ensure hubs complement local authority and service. It also highlighted timely Agricultural Marketing Service food purchasing for school and household programs. President and CEO Duane Simpson said, “Efficiency must not come at the expense of responsiveness or the specialized expertise that farmer cooperatives and rural communities rely on.” |
| Western Growers Association | Questioned whether existing staff would relocate and whether new locations could quickly replace expertise and infrastructure. The association described BARC as important to food-safety research and specialty-crop production; that is its characterization, not an independent finding here. |
| Organic Trade Association | Argued that Washington-based policy, enforcement and standards staff need to remain integrated with federal rulemaking, and predicted that moving core teams could cost institutional expertise. |
| American Statistical Association (ASA) | Warned that moving National Agricultural Statistics Service and ERS staff could disrupt agency products and data timeliness. The ASA cited the 2019 ERS move to Kansas City and estimated that about 75% of staff left; that figure is the association’s account as reported by Agri-Pulse, not a newly verified statistic. |
| Nutrition and research organizations | The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said BARC provides data used in national nutrition policy. Honeybee researchers, Solutions from the Land and weed-science groups also argued that the center supports specialized research and expertise. A nutrition advocacy coalition raised concerns about Food and Nutrition Service programs and coordination with states. |
National Farmers Union President Rob Larew summarized the broader concern: “Any reorganization must be carefully assessed for both efficiency and its impact on USDA’s ability to serve farmers and ranchers effectively.”
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Not with a final ruling on whether the reorganization is legal. The litigation has included an earlier procedural decision and a later, separate case that produced a temporary stay.
How the cases reached the current stage
- Early September 2026: Judge Susan Illston declined to add the reorganization claims to a prior case and said they should be brought separately. A newly filed case proceeded before Judge Vince Chhabria.
- September 29: Chhabria heard arguments on a request for a preliminary injunction. He asked the parties to submit proposed injunction language by October 7 and extended the temporary administrative stay through October 13.
- As of October 8: The reviewed reporting had not established a decision on the preliminary injunction. The stay paused most relocation deadlines it covered; it was not a final ruling on the legality of the plan.
The number of workers potentially affected is not the same as the number who have moved. Government Executive reported that a preliminary injunction could affect about 2,600 employee relocation plans. It also reported that an August 28 court filing by USDA’s acting principal deputy assistant secretary for administration cited 725 relocation letters and a 64% acceptance rate. Those filing figures are not evidence that the relocations were completed.
What is the legal dispute about?
Plaintiffs, including federal employee unions and allied parties, argued that the reorganizations violated restrictions in fiscal 2026 appropriations legislation and would cause staff attrition or impair agency functions. USDA and the Justice Department argued that the department had authority to reorganize and disputed that congressional committee approval was required for the actions at issue. The court had not resolved that dispute in the latest reviewed reporting.
At the September 29 hearing, Chhabria said, “I’m not firmly decided as to whether I’m going to grant the preliminary injunction motion or not.” DOJ attorney Taylor Pitz described the government’s position this way: “The agency has not considered itself bound to accept congressional approval in order to proceed.” These statements reflect the parties’ positions at the hearing, not the outcome of the case.
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What happens next?
The immediate milestone in the reporting available on October 8 was the temporary stay’s October 13 end date. Chhabria had requested proposed injunction language by October 7, and a decision on preliminary relief was expected in mid-October, but no decision was established in the reviewed reports. A preliminary injunction would address whether to maintain court-ordered limits while the case proceeds; it would not, by itself, settle the underlying legal dispute.
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