SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans for a reorganization that includes largely leaving Washington, D.C. in favor of five hub locations around the country, including Salt Lake City.
In a memo Thursday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the hub locations as Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Colo., Raleigh, North Carolina, Kansas City, Missouri and Indianapolis, Indiana.
The effort is part of a broader reorganization of the USDA, which the agency said is a "bloated, expensive, and unsustainable organization" in a news release announcing the move. That also includes a reduction in force.
The move was welcomed by Governor Spencer Cox and other Utah political leaders.
"This move brings the Department closer to the people it serves and strengthens its core mission to support farmers, ranchers, and rural families. Utah is proud to partner in advancing American agriculture and rural prosperity," he wrote in a post on X.
Thank you to @SecRollins for choosing Utah as a new @USDA hub. This move brings the Department closer to the people it serves and strengthens its core mission to support farmers, ranchers, and rural families.
— Governor Cox (@GovCox) July 24, 2025
Utah is proud to partner in advancing American agriculture and rural… pic.twitter.com/Cn7yM6e405
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, also praised the move.
"Thank you, Secretary Rollins, for making the bold move to shift USDA operations out of Washington, D.C. and into the communities they’re meant to serve. This is smart government — more local, more accountable, and a better use of taxpayer dollars," he said in a post on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
Thank you, Secretary Rollins, for making the bold move to shift USDA operations out of Washington, D.C. and into the communities they’re meant to serve. This is smart government — more local, more accountable, and a better use of taxpayer dollars.
— Mike Schultz (@mschultz_12) July 24, 2025
Utah is proud to be one of just… pic.twitter.com/qeemJDXorY
In its memo, the USDA explained why the move was believed to be necessary.
"American agriculture feeds, clothes, and fuels this nation and the world, and it is long past time the Department better serve the great and patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers we are mandated to support. President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country," Secretary Rollins said in a statement. "We will do so through a transparent and common-sense process that preserves USDA’s critical health and public safety services the American public relies on. We will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country."
