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Perdue leads officials on KC tour of new offices

Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Senator Roy Blunt, and Ag Director Chris Chinn are among the Missouri and Kansas officials who took a tour of the new downtown Kansas City office building for USDA research agencies, ERS & NIFA.

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue led the tour on Friday, “Did you know that the Economic Research Service and NIFA were the only two agencies that were not represented outside of D.C. Ninety-percent of USDA workplace is outside of D.C. and NIFA and ERS were not but now they will be.”

Perdue says the new location will be to the benefit of farmers and researchers because it’s in the agriculture heartland, “And I think it gives a feel of the fragrance of a state like Kansas and Missouri do for agriculture. There’s a certain culture here!”

Governor Parson says it took a lot of teamwork with Kansas and Missouri officials to win the bid out of all the areas competing, “And think that’s one of the things of value – the Missouri citizens – the one thing we do know: we’re hard workers. And we’re going to continue to work hard and when you work hard the results happen to be like today. This is a great moment for Kansas City, it’s a great moment for our state and what it’s going to do for us in the future.”

Perdue says they hope to be up to full staff at ERS & NIFA in Kansas City as soon as possible and look forward to moving their employees to the new downtown site when the building is ready.