Policy Update
- kalli70
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
USDA Announces Reorganization Plan
On July 24, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced reorganization plans for the USDA.
Under the new plan, which will be rolled out over the next several months, USDA will realign services and staff around five regional hub locations: Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah. Many Washington D.C.-based staff will be relocated to these hubs, while many USDA agencies, including Natural Resources Conservation Service, Food & Nutrition Service, and National Agricultural Statistics Service will reorganize their regional offices to align with the regional hubs. The plan also states that USDA will, “Consolidate Tribal relations functions within mission areas and ensure the Office of Tribal Relations delivers all statutorily required Tribal relations functions” but provides no additional details. USDA also says there will be no further Reductions in Force, as over 15,000 USDA employees have already resigned.
USDA did not conduct Tribal consultations ahead of the reorganization, and NFBC is analyzing potential impacts on Tribes and Tribal producers.
USDA Makes Changes to Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Rancher Programs
On July 10, USDA published a Final Rule eliminating some programs for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers including certain programs from the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Rural Development.
While these programs were not specific to Tribes or Tribal members, programs for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers are critical for bridging persistent gaps in accessing USDA resources and services in Indian Country.
Moreover, the long history of forced removal, termination, and allotment policy resulted in the loss of land bases, culturally and traditionally important natural resources, and fragmented land ownership. As a direct consequence of these policies, agricultural lands retained by Tribes and Tribal producers are often of lower quality, have fewer land uses, and are geographically disconnected. The historic differences in agricultural lands available to Tribes and Tribal producers lead to increased challenges in agricultural production, conservation, and economic opportunity, and often make Tribes and Tribal producers less competitive for limited resources at USDA and elsewhere.
Programs for beginning, veteran, and limited-resource farmers and ranchers remain unchanged.
The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) hosted an informational webinar earlier this week, providing a comprehensive analysis of program changes and access to the slide deck as a resource.