Hoosier Ag Today 

USDA Dep. Secretary: Indy ‘Fit the Bill’ for USDA Relocation

Kevin
vaden
USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden addresses media at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL. Photo: Eric Pfeiffer/ Hoosier Ag Today

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon be moving many of its major operations out of Washington, D.C. and into Indianapolis and four other regional hub locations.

USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden attended the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL on Tuesday. Hoosier Ag Today asked him when we might have some more information about what USDA jobs will come to Indy.

“We’re in a comment period right now. That comment period goes to the first of September, so we’re listening to feedback from stakeholders, from citizens, from members of Congress, giving us ideas on what they think makes sense to move and why a particular regional hub may be best suited to a particular part of our organization, so that’s why we haven’t made final announcements about that.”

Vaden shared why Indianapolis was chosen as one of the 5 hubs. He said it was simple- Indianapolis fit what they were looking for perfectly.

“USDA already has a footprint in the Midwest. Indianapolis is a wonderful location to build on that footprint. There is government office space available that the taxpayer is already paying for and that we can move into without any added cost to the taxpayer, and the cost of living in Indianapolis is literally half that of Washington D.C.”

Vaden pointed out that D.C. is one of the most expensive locations in the U.S., only trailing New York and San Francisco. All the locations chosen will significantly decrease the cost of living.

“Which means that employees who are located in Indianapolis in the future are more likely to stay with the agency long term because they can have a better quality of life. Which means that we get to keep their institutional knowledge for longer at USDA and not worry about attrition, which you see in high cost of living places like Washington, D.C.”

Vaden added that they need the maximum number of people possible that work for USDA in the field, because that’s where the heart of USDA and the constituents they serve is, and Indianapolis fit the bill.