USDA Selects Kansas City Region to Host ERS, NIFA

Selection of the Kansas City region to serve as the new home for the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) was announced Thursday (June 13) by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. A promised cost-benefit analysis was also released by USDA, showing savings from the move of $300 million over a 15-year lease term – or roughly $20 million per year. Besides the savings, Perdue cited the region's strong ties to the agriculture sector, proximity to multiple land-grant universities and a robust labor talent pool as key factors that drove USDA's decision. State and local governments in the Kansas City region also "offered generous relocation incentives packages totaling more than $26 million," Perdue noted, though he declined to elaborate on the details of those incentives in a call with reporters after the announcement. Ultimately, the fate of the relocations is in Congress' hands and many lawmakers – especially Democrats – remain skeptical or even hostile to the proposal. Already, Congress included provisions in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 spending plan seeking a pause on the effort, and a similar provision is currently included in the FY 2020 USDA appropriations bill making its way through the House.