Economic Research Service missing two-thirds of staff after agency move; could hamper agricultural lawmaking - Entrepreneur Generations

"The Economic Research Service is missing nearly two out of every three employees after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue uprooted the agency from Washington to Kansas City last year. The extensive vacancies are derailing vital research and demoralizing the skeleton crew of workers at the new offices," Ryan McCrimmon reports for Politico.

Five months later, only 41 of 233 positions at the new offices have been filled, according to an internal U.S. Department of Agriculture memo. "Current and former staff describe a bleak atmosphere at ERS, which publishes scientific research on farming, trade, nutrition, rural economics, the environment and more. USDA officials say they’re mounting a vigorous hiring process — but in the meantime, there’s a daunting shortage of institutional knowledge at the agency," McCrimmon reports.

That's important because ERS reports are frequently relied upon by lawmakers writing ag policy, as well as farmers and commodity traders. Employees say the staffing shortages have hampered the production of those studies, but a USDA spokesperson said the ERS has published all reports on time and said its research output is comparable to 2018. "But researchers disputed that characterization, arguing that many of the studies being published now have been in the works since before the relocation," McCrimmon reports.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/386TCy6 Economic Research Service missing two-thirds of staff after agency move; could hamper agricultural lawmaking - Entrepreneur Generations

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