By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent As the Trump administration moves to eliminate key diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) protections at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Moving the Agriculture Department from Washington to regional hubs is part of Trump's effort to cut the size and footprint of the federal government.

During Trump's first administration, the USDA in 2019 moved two offices to Kansas City, triggering a mass exodus of government workers and a drop in productivity.

Texas will become the seventh state to ban the production and sale of lab-grown meat in September. Florida was the first, followed by Alabama last year. This year, five more states, including Texas, followed.

Indianapolis will soon serve as one of five U.S. Department of Agriculture hubs as the federal agency reduces and reorganizes its workforce under President Donald Trump's administration, the USDA announced July 24.

Around 2,600 workers — more than half the Washington, D.C. workforce — will be moved to five hubs stretching from North Carolina to Utah, Rollins said. The union representing federal workers immediately criticized the plan as a ploy to cut federal jobs, pointing out that some 95% of the department’s employees already work outside Washington.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a sweeping reorganization and significant staff reductions on Thursday, citing a bloated workforce and rampant overspending during the Biden administration.

The move is reminiscent of a similar plan from Trump’s first presidency that crushed morale and hurt the agency for years to come.

U.S. agriculture groups are pushing for the European Union and Australia to further open their markets after the Trump administration's announcements of new trade pacts. Farm groups representing grain traders,

Across the country, Trump’s immigration raids have roiled farms and farming communities – with cases of worker shortages and fears of unpicked crops.