Staffing levels for the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture are exceedingly low following their relocation to Kansas City from the Washington, D.C. area, the chairwoman of the House Agriculture Biotechnology and Horticulture Subcommittee said today.

The ERS, which has funding to support 329 employees, currently has 214 vacant positions. Of the 336 appropriated positions for NIFA, 264 are currently vacant as well, said Del. Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue moved the two research agencies to bring researchers closer to farming communities. The department hoped the relocation would improve recruitment and help retain staff.

USDA has said that placing ERS and NIFA outside of Washington would result in $20 million in annual savings that could be reinvested back into the agencies.

“These gaps in service reinforce the notion that this relocation was hurried, misguided and mismanaged,” Plaskett said during a hearing.

Scott Hutchins, USDA’s deputy undersecretary for research, education and economics, testified that the hiring process has “accelerated tremendously.”

“Some of the positions that we would typically recruit for, such as our program leaders, would normally have 50 to 60 applicants,” Hutchinson said. “We have those advertised now and we're having 400 to 500 applicants.”

The USDA is working with the Kansas City region to develop employment fairs to bring in more candidates, he said.

The empty positions will lead to a dramatic slowdown in the agency’s work, according to an internal document provided to POLITICO last month.

