WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Could North Carolina soon be home to two USDA research offices? The secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated this week that a decision could be made in a matter of days or weeks.

• The Research Triangle is on the shortlist, as the USDA looks to relocate both the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
• The proposed move has faced pushback from some researchers and farmers.
• several lawmakers from North Carolina are rolling out the red carpet, hoping to convince USDA to pick the Tar Heel state.

The Research Triangle is on the shortlist, as the USDA looks to relocate both the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The proposed move has faced pushback from some researchers and farmers, including during a Wednesday hearing on Capitol Hill. Even so, several lawmakers from North Carolina are rolling out the red carpet, hoping to convince USDA to pick the Tar Heel state.

“We think North Carolina is really uniquely positioned, given the research institutions there, given NC State is a land grant,” said Rep. David Rouzer, R-7th District, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee. “It’s such a strong agriculture state.”

Rouzer recently joined with most members of the North Carolina delegation in drafting a letter  to Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue, urging him to pick the Research Triangle.

Perdue argues moving the research offices outside of Washington puts them closer to stakeholders and the farmers themselves, and allows them to attract top talent from nearby land grant universities.

But the plan is not without criticism -- including from some researchers and farmers. They worry moving the offices out of D.C. would cut them off from both policymakers and other research institutions they work with.

Those farmers and researchers laid out their concerns before House Agriculture Committee Wednesday.

“Relocating ERS and NIFA will make it more challenging for farm groups to collaborate with these agencies,” said Elizabeth Brownlee, a farmer from Indiana. “It may jeopardize your ability to craft evidence-based effective policy for farmers like me.”

Some also worry the move could lead to a sort-of brain drain at the research offices, if the workers decide to not relocate.

Already, the Democrat-led House Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill that includes language restricting how ERS and NIFA funding can be used, so as to block any move.

The other locations on the USDA’s shortlist for the move are Kansas City and Indiana. St. Louis, Mo. and Madison, Wis. are listed as potential backups.