Could the U.S. Dept. Agriculture Move to Illinois?

There have been discussions in recent years of taking a lot of the federal agencies/departments that are currently, and have historically been in Washington D.C. and relocating them across the country.

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Illinois state representative Regan Deering of Decatur has brought forth a resolution in Springfield that encourages President Trump to re-plant (my words not hers) the USDA in central Illinois, specifically Decatur (not a surprise) or Bloomington-Normal.

“It’s time we put the USDA in a place where people plant crops, not push paper.” - Illinois State Rep Regan Deering 

Getting the Department of Agriculture out of D.C. and into an area of the country where agriculture is a way of life makes sense.  Having it in the midst of Ag companies and farmers makes sense in an era of increased efficiency within the federal government.

This isn’t a new idea. The Ag Department’s Economic Research Service and the National Institutes of Food and Ag moved from Washington D.C to Kansas City back in 2019. When that move occurred, half of the D.C. staff of those departments refused to make the move.

Potentially having the hub of the USDA set up shop in downstate Illinois would be a big economic boon for the state. With sub departments already housed in Kansas City, there could realistically be other departments set up in Indiana, Wisconsin or Iowa, with the main office in Illinois. It could work. Deering’s proposal hasn’t found a co-signer yet. Illinois state legislation doesn’t hold sway at the Federal level, but it’s a start.