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USDA employees facing relocation weigh whether to stay or go. Some are eligible for incentives either way
USDA employees facing relocation weigh whether to stay or go. Some are eligible for incentives either way
National Agricultural Statistics Service employees facing relocation are being offered incentives to leave or stay with the agency.
Jory Heckman@jheckmanWFED
June 11, 2026 7:08 pm
7 min read
The Agriculture Department is making an ultimatum to thousands of its employees as part of its sweeping relocation plans — move to keep their jobs or quit.
USDA is embarking on a multi-part reorganization plan that involves relocating more than half of its D.C.-area workforce to hubs across the country by the end of this summer. Employees impacted by these relocation plans work at the Food Safety and Inspection Service, Forest Service, Economic Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Food and Nutrition Service. About 90% of USDA employees already work outside of the Washington, D.C. area.
USDA is setting different deadlines for employees at its component agencies to make their decisions.
Employees at the department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service have until July 8 to decide whether to accept their reassignment to St. Louis or one of the agency’s regional offices. NASS employs about 800 employees, most of them working as agricultural statisticians. The agency serves as an authoritative source of data on crop production, livestock, and farm finance. It conducts a census every five years to collect agricultural data on every county in the United States.
{snip}
Jory Heckman
Jory Heckman is a reporter at Federal News Network covering the Postal Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, IRS, big data and technology issues. Follow @jheckmanWFED
National Agricultural Statistics Service employees facing relocation are being offered incentives to leave or stay with the agency.
Jory Heckman@jheckmanWFED
June 11, 2026 7:08 pm
7 min read
The Agriculture Department is making an ultimatum to thousands of its employees as part of its sweeping relocation plans — move to keep their jobs or quit.
USDA is embarking on a multi-part reorganization plan that involves relocating more than half of its D.C.-area workforce to hubs across the country by the end of this summer. Employees impacted by these relocation plans work at the Food Safety and Inspection Service, Forest Service, Economic Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Food and Nutrition Service. About 90% of USDA employees already work outside of the Washington, D.C. area.
USDA is setting different deadlines for employees at its component agencies to make their decisions.
Employees at the department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service have until July 8 to decide whether to accept their reassignment to St. Louis or one of the agency’s regional offices. NASS employs about 800 employees, most of them working as agricultural statisticians. The agency serves as an authoritative source of data on crop production, livestock, and farm finance. It conducts a census every five years to collect agricultural data on every county in the United States.
{snip}
Jory Heckman
Jory Heckman is a reporter at Federal News Network covering the Postal Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, IRS, big data and technology issues. Follow @jheckmanWFED