Beltsville USDA research center's future closure raises concerns as department restructures.
The USDA will close the Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville under a restructuring plan.
BELTSVILLE, Md. — The Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville will close as part of the United States Department of Agriculture's restructuring plan by the Trump administration. Thousands of D.C. area employees will also be moved to hubs across the country.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) said the the plan is rash and detrimental to both employees and the American public.
"Services that are provided, I think, are going to be disrupted in many instances and it makes it harder for the U.S. to compete against some of our international competitors like China,” Ivey said.
Employees at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center study poultry disease, soybean genetics and dairy cattle health among other things.
"Things to try to feed people in America and around the world in more effective and efficient ways," Ivey noted. "And given some of the climate change impacts there's new challenges that are coming."
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