(USDA) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Friday announced the finalists of the 136 Expressions of Interest received from parties in 35 states vying to become the new homes of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
Secretary Perdue said that “This short list of locations took into consideration critical factors required to uphold the important missions of ERS and NIFA. We also considered factors important to our employees, such as quality of life. Relocation will help ensure USDA is the most effective, most efficient, and most customer-focused agency in the federal government, allowing us to be closer to our stakeholders and move our resources closer to our customers.”
The top Expressions of Interest were reviewed in detail, and USDA selected a short list of locations offering existing buildings with sufficient space to meet ERS and NIFA requirements. The top three Expressions of Interest under consideration are: the Greater Kansas City Region in KS and MO, the Research Triangle Region in NC, and multiple locations in IN.
Besides the top 3, the USDA says that two other Expressions of Interest remain under consideration as alternative locations should the top three locations not suit USDA’s needs: St. Louis, MO and Madison, WI.
As part of the site selection process, USDA narrowed the Expressions of Interest list using a set of established criteria defined by USDA, NIFA, and ERS leadership. The criteria included: Quality of Life, Costs (Capital and Operating), Workforce, and Logistics / IT Infrastructure.
More information about the site selection process can be found at, https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2018/12/21/perdue-announces-ers-nifa-site-selection-criteria
