Critics Say USDA Plan To Move Federal Agencies Could Hurt Research Vital For Farmers

A couple of federal agencies you probably haven't heard of keep track of what farmers grow, what Americans eat and how the country's entire food system operates. And the Trump administration wants them out of Washington, D.C.

Last summer, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) would relocate somewhere that's closer to farmers and public universities doing agricultural research. But critics, including many scientists, balked, saying the agencies won't be as effective.

ERS collects and crunches numbers on everything from how much corn syrup Americans consume to how tariffs affect farmers, while NIFA funds research that does things like closely track climate change.

USDA has yet to announce a new home for the agencies, but recently narrowed the list to three: the greater Kansas City metro area, the Research Triangle Park area near Raleigh, N.C., and various sites in Indiana — Vice President Mike Pence's home state.

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran recalled when he heard of Perdue's proposal.