Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a major reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a move that will see many Washington, D.C., employees relocated and several historic department buildings shuttered.

In a news release, the department said the reorganization aims at “refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry.”

Employees will be moved to several regional hubs at Salt Lake City; Fort Collins, Colorado; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Buildings slated for closure include the South Building on Independence Avenue and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, home to much of the department’s research activities for decades.

Farm groups reacted with caution to the announcement. In a statement to DTN, the American Farm Bureau Federation said: "It is very important that USDA ensure the delivery of essential services and programs for farmers is not disrupted.”

Both Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) and the committee’s ranking Democrat, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), expressed concern about the reorganization and held a hearing on the matter Wednesday.