u/Both_Cake9874

For the current ARS reorganization and relocation, has anyone noticed that the employees' questsions are ahead of the Administrators at all these interactive sessions? The administrators don't know answers to questions they get asked so they say "email the REE.reorganization" inbox or "talk to the retirement specialist". I think this just indicates how poorly planned this whole reorg/relocation is. A lot of these questions don't seem that hard to answer. I know they are getting hung out to dry but so are we. I do think that all the ARS employees should be commended for asking questions that affect their future. I know the lawsuits will delay the BARC closure and relocations but I don't know for how long. But I do commend ARS employees for standing up for themselves and for persisting in asking the pertinent and relevant questions. I do think all of these non-answers just exposes how poorly planned and executed these relocations / reorganizations will be.

Appreciated the USDA shout out and CDC mention, but this article misses an important issue. Control measure (interventions) That are applied to irrigation water that reduce bacterial and viral organism levels do not work against Cyclospora cayetanensis. I think the author should have mentioned that (if he did I missed it).

July 17, 2026

The Honorable Brooke L. Rollins

Secretary

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave., S.W.

Washington, DC 20250

SUBJECT: Pausing proposed relocation of Beltsville Agricultural Research Center

Dear Secretary Rollins:

The undersigned groups respectfully urge you to reconsider the proposed relocation and

dissolution of the Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory (EMFSL) at the Beltsville

Agricultural Research Center (BARC), part of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Preserving this highly integrated research unit directly aligns with your priorities of supporting

farmers and ranchers, strengthening agricultural productivity, advancing practical and science-

based regulation, and ensuring a safe and reliable food supply for all Americans.

At its core, this issue reflects something we all agree on—food safety matters. Farmers,

regulators, scientists, and consumers share a common goal: a food system that is both

productive and safe. Achieving that goal requires regulatory decisions grounded in rigorous,

real-world science. EMFSL plays a central role in generating exactly that type of data, ensuring

that food safety standards are effective, practical, and based on evidence rather than

assumption.

EMFSL’s research is especially critical as U.S. agriculture evolves. Organic farm sales increased

32% between 2017 and 2022, driven largely by fruits and vegetables, sectors that often rely on

manure-based fertilizers and other biological soil amendments1. At the same time, both organic

and conventional farms depend on these inputs to maintain soil health and productivity, with

an estimated 1.2 billion pounds of animal manure produced annually in the United States1

.

These practices create complex food safety challenges that demand careful scientific study.

EMFSL researchers examine how dangerous pathogens—including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella,

Listeria monocytogenes—survive in agricultural soils and transfer to crops. Their work has

demonstrated that factors such as rainfall, soil type, amendment type, and regional conditions

significantly influence pathogen survival and contamination risk2,3,4

.

1 U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2026). Census of Agriculture. https://www.nass.usda.gov/agcensus/

2 U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2026). FDA Releases risk assessment of Foodborne Illness Associated with

Pathogens From Produce Grown in Fields Amended with Untreated Biological Soil Amendments of Animal Origin.

https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-releases-risk-assessment-foodborne-illness-associated-

pathogens-produce-grown-fields-amended

3 Elend C, Schmeisser C, Leggewie C, et al. Isolation and biochemical characterization of two novel metagenome-

derived esterases. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006;72(5):3637-3645. doi:10.1128/AEM.72.5.3637-3645.2006

4 Pang, H., Mokhtari, A., Chen, Y., Oryang, D., Ingram, D.T., Sharma, M., Millner, P.D. and Van Doren, J.M. (2020), A

Predictive Model for Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Generic E. coli in Soil Amended with Untreated

Animal Manure. Risk Analysis, 40: 1367-1382. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13491

Beyond soil amendments, EMFSL conducts a broad portfolio of food safety research that

directly supports procedures and strengthens the safety of the U.S. food supply. Researchers

study how pathogens move through irrigation water systems and agricultural environments,

develop practical interventions to reduce contamination risks in fresh produce, and evaluate

strategies to reduce foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in dairy systems5

.

EMFSL scientists also advance innovative sensing and detection technologies that improve

sanitation verification, contamination detection, and food authenticity testing – helping

producers identify risks earlier and prevent outbreaks before they occur. Additionally, the

laboratory investigates emerging zoonotic and parasitic threats to food safety, ensuring that

regulatory decisions keep pace with evolving agricultural systems and public health risks.

This research directly informs federal policy, including FDA risk assessments under the Food

Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). It helps establish scientifically justified standards—such as

appropriate intervals between manure application and harvest—that both protect public health

and remain workable for producers6. Maintaining EMFSL ensures that regulations continue to

reflect real-world agricultural conditions, reducing uncertainty for farmers while strengthening

consumer confidence.

EMFSL operates within a state-of-the-art facility that is critical to its efforts. That facility

underwent a $32 million modernization in 2022, designed specifically to support collaborative

food safety research7. In addition, approximately $175 million has been invested in BARC

infrastructure over the past decade. Relocating EMFSL risks underutilizing these investments

while creating new, avoidable costs, even assuming an appropriate facility can be built or

repurposed in a new location. In addition to loss of critical facility, a move would disrupt

ongoing work by fragmenting EMFSL, undermining progress toward science-based regulation.

The laboratory’s interdisciplinary model—bringing together microbiologists, engineers, and

parasitologists—allows for comprehensive analysis of how contamination occurs and how it can

be prevented. Breaking apart this capability would slow advances at a time when farmers need

clear, consistent guidance to meet food safety expectations.

Furthermore, the loss of highly specialized scientific expertise would be substantial. Past USDA

relocations have shown that such moves often result in significant staff attrition, leading to

gaps in institutional knowledge and reduced effectiveness in serving agricultural stakeholders8

.

Such a loss is particularly harmful for the highly specialized scientific effort being carried out by

this research unit. Preserving EMFSL helps ensure continuity of expertise, collaboration, and

service to farmers across the country.

5 Sharma M, Millner PD, Hashem F, Vinyard BT, East CL, Handy ET, White K, Stonebraker R, Cotton CP.2019.Survival

of Escherichia coli in Manure-Amended Soils Is Affected by Spatiotemporal, Agricultural, and Weather Factors in

the Mid-Atlantic United States. Appl Environ Microbiol85:e02392-18.https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02392-18

6 U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2026). About ARS. https://www.ars.usda.gov/about-ars/

7 U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2022). Budget Summary.

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2022-budget-summary.pdf

8 U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2023). Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better

Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-

104709

Your leadership has emphasized a commitment to policies that work for producers, strengthen

American agriculture, and are grounded in practical, science-based solutions. Keeping EMFSL

intact at BARC advances each of these goals by supporting farmers, informing effective

regulation, safeguarding public health, and ensuring responsible use of taxpayer resources.

For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to pause the proposed relocation and dissolution of

EMFSL until it can be clearly demonstrated that such a move would improve outcomes for

farmers, consumers, and the agricultural economy.

We would also greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet with you or your staff to discuss the

importance of EMFSL’s work and how preserving this research capacity supports your priorities

for USDA and American agriculture.

Thank you for your leadership and your continued commitment to the strength and safety of

our nation’s food system.

Sincerely,

Dr. Barbara Kowalcyk, Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security, George Washington

University Milken Institute School of Public Health

Lauren Borsheim, Food & Water Watch

Thomas Gremillion, Consumer Federation of America

Jaydee Hansen, Center for Food Safety

Sarah Sorscher, Center for Science in the Public Interest

Brian Ronholm, Consumer Union

Tiffany Page-Cooper, Langston Hughes Community, Business & Resource Center

Jennifer McEntire, Food Safety Strategy

Dr. De Ann Davis, PhD, Western Growers

Peter Kyriacopoulos, Association of Public Health Laboratories

Leigh Frame, George Washington University Office of Integrative Medicine and Health

James Whitman, Edible DC

Timothy Holtz, Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness, George Washington

University Milken Institute School of Public Health

Steven Roach, Food Animal Concerns Trust

Andrea Meza, Government Accountability Project

Don Schaffner

Emily Lubahn

Sandra Hoffmann

Cindy Liu

Rebecca Woods

Stephen Basore

John Guzewich

Matthew J Stasiewicz

Kali Kniel

Brendan A. Niemira

Lisa Garcia

Karuna Kharel

Dr. Manoj Shah, PhD

Alex O’Brien

Tanya Roberts

Brandon Hun

Dr. Francisco Zagmutt

Dr. Sukhvinder Pal Singh

Haris Jebrini

Kellie Matzinger

Francisco Diez-Gonzalez

Lee-Ann Jaykus

Rita Raftery

Meredith Melendez

Gary P. Richards

Dr. Autumn Kraft

Christi Dillon

Ryan Blaustein

Denise Lytle

Kayla Holt

Lisanne Panter

Susan Gross

Michelle Parker

Dr. Peter Smudde, Ph.D.

Robert Lawrence

Yuki Kato

Dr. Elisabetta Lambertini

Caroline Smith DeWaal

Kevin Vaught

Humay Sadig

Ivy Ken

Lynn Mangan

Ariel Verbrugge

Mary Angela Miller

Mostafa Ghanem

Ja'net Cannon

Ajowa Ifateyo

Abdul Monsur

Craig Hedberg

Anna Liang

Deborah Feldman

Katherine Donnelly

Zhenhai Li

Mike Gibson

Alexia Leeser

Suzanne Schaer

Glenn Morris

Beth Schmidt

Sarah Balcom

Lisa Lachenmayr

Elaine Becker

Jiuzhou Song

Dr. Paul Rickert

Frank Sesno

Teresa Schwartz

William O'Boyle

Linda Saif

Dr. Arunraj

Mekhemadhom

Rajendrakumar

Chris Jordan

Mary Efird

Dr. Simona Elementi

Morgan Pyzynski

XuanHa Nguyen

Dorothy Nuckols

Ryan Blaustein

William Melnyczenko

Amy Fisher

Mariah Walters Orose

Steve Petitt

Kelley Vargo

Tyrone Covington, Jr.

Stephanie Pully

Qiuhong Wang

Erin Harrelson

Qin Wang

Nancy McDonald

Dr. Ariel Garsow

Richard Weismiller

Lucy Hayes

Norma Ramirez

Elise Grabner

Laura Wormuth

Bruce Ross

Rosalind Pinkard

Anna Alberini

Magaly A. Toro Ibaceta

Dr. Richard Rothstein

Dr. Eli Hegeman

Sarah Dumas

Austen Musso

Michael D. Edwards

Jacqueline Frisina

Sherlyn Caivinagua

Samantha Doyle

Dr. Kimber Sarver

Louisa Wu

Christine Bruhn

Art Hanson

Nikolaos Milonas

KayLynne Schaller

Robert Buchanan

Dr. Alicia Tucker

Rita Ackah

Kate Burr, MS

Mercedes Lackey

Tim Knight

Mark Varner

Brendan Fries

Marian Winters

Janeene Porcher

Ellen de Perez

Sonny Ramaswamy

Liesl Koch

Sandra Hoffmann

Thomas Fungwe

CC:

Dr. Scott Hutchins, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, U.S. Department

of Agriculture

Dr. Mindy Brashears, Under Secretary, Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Mr. Joon Park, Administrator, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Jeff Silverstein, Associate Administrator, Office of National Programs, Agricultural Research

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

The official statement from USDA in this article is most certainly not true, especially when research units have been told to stop research and start packing up laboratories.

From Agri-Pulse Daybreak June 10: Ag labor draft bill would expand H-2A * Groups urge lawmakers to act on FSA, NRCS staffing * Reorg criticism

Reorg plans for USDA research agencies draw criticism

Fifty-one ag research and commodity groups are expressing concerns about USDA’s plans to reorganize its research agencies.

In a letter to the chairs of the House and Senate Ag Committees, the groups warned that the permanent closure or significant downsizing of ARS labs “would represent an irreversible loss, not just of physical infrastructure, but of ongoing research programs whose value compounds over time.” 

They point out that during a previous 2019 relocation effort, between 40 and 60 percent of staff at the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture chose to depart rather than relocate.

The groups also are worried about staffing losses that occurred last year, noting that many vacated positions “have not been refilled.” 

They say there have been delays in the distribution of federal research funding, “disrupting ongoing research projects, forcing reductions in university research workforces, and causing researchers to lose critical momentum on multi-year projects that directly support farmer productivity and rural economies.”

The groups include the National Association of Wheat Growers, National Farmers Union, National Potato Council, and the Soil Science Society of America, among others

SO USDA ARS BARC is being "decommissioned" and employees don't know where their projects are going be reassigned and where they will be asked to move to, but the Senators from ND and MS seem know which projects they are getting. Not surprising that the ARS employees are the last to know or that ARS administrators are saying they don't know where the projects are being assigned to. Just be honest about your shennigans, folks. At least that would be less games you have to play. You're lying about the money you're saving and about how this will serve taxpayers better. It's all going to hurt agricultural research nationwide.