Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the USDA officially signed a lease on office space in Kansas City, Missouri. 

The Hagstrom Report says it’s now the new place of work for most of the employees of the USDA’s Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

It’s at 805 Pennsylvania Avenue right in downtown Kansas City. 

Employees of both agencies who made the move out of Washington, D.C., had been working in another USDA facility.

“We’re excited to announce ERS and NIFA’s new, permanent home in downtown Kansas City,” says Perdue. “It provides clarity on commute times and work-life balance for our employees. Both agencies have been working at the Beacon Center after relocating to the region over a month ago.”

 Perdue says signing the lease is an important next step to maximizing the efficiency, effectiveness, and customer service over the long-term. 

In a separate statement, USDA also says 90 percent of USDA employees are located outside of the DC area. 

Before their relocation, ERS and NIFA were the only USDA agencies that didn’t have any representation outside of the nation’s capital. 

Out of 329 ERS positions, 76 remain in DC. Out of a total of 344 NIFA positions, just 21 remain located in Washington, D.C.