U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on July 24 announced a “complete reorganization” of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will include closing the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC).
Citing goals of efficiency and more-affordable cost of living, Rollins said USDA will be “moving our key services outside Washington, D.C.” and relocating much of the Washington, D.C., area workforce to five hub locations: Raleigh, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Salt Lake City, Utah. There will also be reductions and consolidations of offices and staff.
D.C. area offices slated to close are BARC, the George Washington Carver Center (GWCC) in Beltsville, Braddock Place in Alexandria and the South Building in D.C. Once vacated, these facilities will be returned to the General Services Administration. Area offices that USDA plans to retain include the Whitten and Yates Buildings in D.C.
Beltsville Facilities
A memo that accompanied Rollins’ YouTube announcement stated that BARC, a USDA
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facility, will be “vacated over multiple years to avoid disruption of critical USDA research activities.”
The GWCC on Sunnyside Avenue, which has offices for ARS headquarters staff as well as the Maryland State Office for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, will be “sold or transferred upon conclusion of its use as a temporary location for USDA personnel during the realignment of USDA offices and personnel.”
The National Agricultural Library will be “retained for use, and the Department will fully leverage available office space for USDA mission areas and staff offices.”
BARC Particulars
There are more than 500 employee positions at BARC, with about 400 of those currently filled. As with other federal agencies anticipating staff cutbacks, many employees opted to retire or to take buyout or deferred resignation offers over the last few months.
In a staff meeting at BARC held after Rollins’ announcement, researchers learned that they likely would be moved to one of the 95 locations across the country where ARS conducts research rather than to one of the five hubs Rollins identified. However, more specific information on the relocation and its timing will be released over the coming months.
