I am opposed to the closing of the Beltsville Bee Lab as part of the USDA "reorganization" plan. The colony collapse crisis facing the beekeepers in the US will not wait for the "restructuring" of the lab functions. We need every tool available in the fight at this critical time.
Bee lab is essential to the struggle of honeybee/pollinator dilemma. Take away this asset and demise of honeybee/pollinators will be resting on shoulders who sanctioned said action.
Dear Secretary Rollins:
The American Phytopathological Society (APS) appreciates the opportunity to comment on
USDA’s reorganization (SM 1078-015). APS is a non-profit, professional organization of 3,600
plant pathology scientists and practitioners whose work safeguards agriculture, food security,
and the national ecosystem to prevent billions of dollars in crop losses in the U.S. each year.
Spanning industry, academia, government, and private practice, APS members study and
manage plant pathogens, pests, and diseases to ensure healthy plants thrive in crops of all
types across all 50 states. APS members collaborate closely with vital Federal agencies and
White House offices to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing U.S. agriculture and
food security. Through efforts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal
agencies, APS delivers science-based solutions that benefit farmers, consumers, and
communities across the country.
The United States has been the global leader in agricultural research for many decades, and
the USDA is key to this research excellence due to both its in-house research programs and its
funding of exceptional research through its competitive grant programs. The U.S. must ensure
that reorganization of the USDA strengthens the nation’s agricultural security and our nation’s
ability to remain at the forefront of global agricultural research—not weakens it. The U.S.
agricultural research system has been a key driver of our nation's ability to sustain impressive
productivity growth in the agricultural sector year-after-year for decades. Economic analysis
finds strong and consistent evidence that investment in agricultural research yields high returns,
estimated to be at least $10 of economic benefit for society resulting from every research dollar
spent. While APS recognizes USDA’s intent to increase efficiency and reduce bureaucracy
through this reorganization, USDA’s world-class research is a national treasure that must be
preserved during this process.
We make the following requests as USDA leadership considers reorganization efforts:
Safeguard programs and facilities in the Washington, D.C., area that underpin U.S. global
leadership.
- APS strongly supports the National Agricultural Library located in Beltsville, Maryland. It serves
an essential role as a key data hub with archives for primary scientific literature that underpin
vast bodies of data and agricultural knowledge that are easily distributed to researchers and
other key stakeholders from a single location. We support the USDA’s plan to retain this building
and also advocate for retention/reinstatement of all functions, materials, and services of the
National Agricultural Library at the 2024 levels.
- We believe that keeping the USDA-ARS Office of National Programs in the Washington, D.C.,
area has significant benefits. This Office coordinates national USDA-ARS research to focus on
agricultural priorities and uphold the intent of congressionally-appropriated funds. Geographic
separation from Washington, D.C., would weaken essential connections between USDA-ARS,
Congress, the Administration, and stakeholders who regularly visit our nation’s capital to
interface with Congress and Administrative leaders. We also support key leadership from
APHIS and NIFA remaining in D.C. to help advance government-wide initiatives that are key to
our national and food security.
- The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) houses valuable research programs,
equipment, and biological resources that underpin biosecurity, food security, and U.S. research
leadership. Examples of these vital resources include national fungal and nematode culture
collections; extensive electron microscopy equipment; quarantine facilities; state-of-the-art data
centers for agricultural, natural resources and genomics research; and many world-renowned
research programs. Relocation of these programs and resources will require careful planning
and sizable investments in facilities outside of the Washington, D.C., area. It is essential that the
necessary time and financial resources are appropriated to implement a transition plan that
safeguards—rather than squanders—these critical assets.
An additional hub is needed in the West closer to western agricultural production.
The diversity and scale of U.S. agriculture demand a strong regional presence across the
United States. APS supports the USDA’s objective of locating hubs in proximity to its customers,
but a hub located west of Salt Lake City is necessary to fulfill this objective. According to the
USDA's own 2023 Economic Research Service, California is the top U.S. state in agricultural
production. The five states with the largest acreage of Forest Service lands (Alaska, California,
Idaho, Montana, Oregon) are also west of Utah. Additionally, diagnostic capacity near ports of
entry, including those on the Pacific coast, is essential to our nation’s agricultural security.
- We ask that USDA ensure that reorganization decisions reinforce our ability to detect and
respond to threats at our nation’s borders. Existing USDA offices and laboratories located in
Western States provide valuable connections to regional farmers, ranchers, foresters, and
other stakeholders; support research directed towards the highest priority issues; and
manage the diverse forest service lands located throughout the West. These offices and
laboratories should be retained to the fullest extent possible. A hub in the western-most
states that can provide support and connection to stakeholders in the West will be crucial to
successfully achieving the USDA’s mission.
Agricultural innovation depends on program continuity and minimal disruption of
essential functions.
- APS is concerned that the attrition from reorganization efforts will lead to a diminished USDA,
especially when it comes to stakeholder engagement and funding that underpins agricultural
research and plant science.
- Timely and efficient grant processing is a matter of national competitiveness. When USDA
previously relocated NIFA programs, it took years to fill all of the vacated positions and train
new staff. This disrupted grant processing, which impeded research progress and jeopardized
U.S. innovation capacity. Protecting and retaining skilled staff is critical to maintaining the global
stature of USDA-funded research and providing the results that farmers, ranchers and foresters
depend on for their economic well-being.
- Moving USDA research programs to new locations will cause significant disruptions to research
productivity. We urge the USDA to construct and implement strong transition plans to minimize
research disruptions, specifically by providing funding for state-of-the art facilities tailored to
accommodate displaced research programs in new locations. We are concerned that
reorganization will result in the significant loss of the USDA’s top scientists from the Beltsville
area, who could be discouraged by the delays and disruptions caused by the reorganization.
Delays and disruptions also have the longer-term risk of discouraging the next generation of
scientists from entering agricultural research. A stable, well-supported USDA is critical to
building the workforce that will protect the nation’s crops against emerging threats.
We greatly appreciate your consideration of these important factors during your reorganization
efforts. Please look to APS as a resource as we are aligned in ensuring that we maintain our
role as a global leader of agricultural research.
The bee industry is already struggling. There was significant hive loss across the country this year (I personally suffered a 75% loss). Our bees are being onslaught from numerous angles - pesticides, parasites, etc. The Beltsville Bee Lab is CRITICAL to aiding beekeepers is fight against this onslaught. Approximately 35% of the world's food crops and 75% of all flowering plants require pollinators to reproduce. The world cannot survive without strong pollinators, of which bees are a significant portion. Please reconsider closing this and any other bee research labs. Thank you.
Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 7:52:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Subject: Closing of USDA laboratories
Date: Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 11:16:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Michael Lesser
To: reorganization@usda.gov
CC: Zachary Lamas, maryellen.nhba@gmail.com
To whom it may concern. The reorganiza2on and closing of USDA laboratories is
not in the best interests of serving the US agricultural community writ large as it
relates to research, education and outreach, and will affect food crop produc2on.
The USDA has strategically centralized resources in regional laboratories to
facilitate scientific discovery and then transfer those discoveries to applicable
solutions; it is the perfect blend of basic research serving applied science. This is
especially true for apiculture, where my current interests are concentrated. Right
now, we are in a global crisis as it relates to the survival of insect pollinators, both
honey bees and native bees. In particular, US commercial apiaries have
experienced unprecedented losses which will affect the productivity of multiple
food crops. There are four USDA-ARS bee research laboratories placed regionally
around the country. This arrangement serves the best interest of both
commercial and hobbyist beekeepers by understanding regional-specific
variations in honey bee biology and honey production. In particular, the proposal
to close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland is of grave concern.
This laboratory conducts essential research on honey bee biology and diseases.
Most recently, this laboratory provided important diagnostic information on
honey bee hive collapses in California during the annual almond pollination
season. Additionally, the laboratory provides unique diagnostic services to both
commercial and hobbyist beekeeping communities. This is especially important
because of the onslaught of multiple honey bee diseases. Abandoning these
laboratories at such a time of crisis is poorly thought out. And for those who
would say that those services are just going to be transferred to other laboratories
I say; have you ever moved a laboratory, especially one as large as Beltsville with
all of its equipment, supplies, people, beehives and priceless collection of archived
samples? I have moved my own laboratory of much smaller magnitude and it is
never the same and the lag time in getting up and ready to work is always longer
than planned. Food security, for which pollinators are essential, is part of our
national security and abandoning government sponsored research on honey bee
biology and their diseases right now, for largely political reasons, is a no-win
situation for anyone. Please reconsider this decision.
Regards
Michael P. Lesser, Ph. D.
Research Professor Emeritus
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, and
School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824
mpl@unh.edu
Fellow of the International Coral Reef Society
Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
To whom it may concern,
As a group of primarily rural beekeepers, we are writing in strong opposition of closing the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). Besides breaking up functioning working groups, disrupting scientific work, and losing a facility that has grown into its role with the Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory for 90 years, closing BARC will remove an agricultural institution from a populated area. We spend a lot of effort and energy educating urban populations about agriculture, and removing a facility as important as BARC will further remove agriculture from the sight & minds of the area populus. Further, sustaining the beekeeping community is aligned with protecting the country’s food security, since 75% of our food requires pollination from bees.
As an industry, beekeeping has faced significant challenges in recent years – leading to a critical concern about sustainability – and it is the researchers at the Beltsville Bee Research Lab at BARC that have been responsive and helpful as we look for data to lead our management decisions. That essential service is a product of the collective expertise, collaboration, and unique research environment allowed at BARC.
We are in complete support of the continued operation of BARC to continue to serve the scientific & agricultural interests of Americans, at its current location.
Sincerely,
Eastern Colorado Beekeepers
Dear Secretary Rollins,
The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and individuals in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA has nearly 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, science agencies, private industry, and government. ESA appreciates the opportunity to respond to the proposed USDA Reorganization Plan and writes today to express our opposition to any proposal that would result in the closure or downsizing of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratories.
The ARS laboratory network plays a critical role in providing public support for agricultural research in the United States. These labs conduct research for the public good, which helps to drive innovation, bring new ideas to market and improve existing technologies, and support farmers, ranchers, and producers across this country. These scientists also address critical issues such as insecticide resistance, invasive species, food security, pollinator health, and other issues affecting growers in a multidisciplinary way. The network of ARS labs across the country currently work to address local geographic needs in addition to supporting the broader agricultural research priorities of the nation.
This year, commercial beekeepers across the U.S. saw more than 60% of their bees die over the winter, an alarmingly high number since this data first started being collected in 2007. Pollinators, including honey bees, contribute to the production of almost three-quarters of global crop types—especially fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The global economic value of pollination services is estimated to exceed $235 billion annually. Research to understand and promote honey bee health plays a critical role in helping commercial beekeepers across the US, many of whom are small business owners, as well as farmers and producers.
The USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) Bee Research Laboratory (BRL) plays a key role in helping beekeepers manage, support, and improve the health of bees across the United States. The six labs that make up this cooperative research group at BARC provide free diagnostic services to beekeepers, analyzing bees, broods, and honeycombs to understand what is happening when bees get sick or die. This year alone, thousands of samples were studied to understand the enormous overwinter die off, and findings from that work are helping beekeepers be better prepared for next year.
The USDA reorganization proposes moving research out of the Washington, DC area. We applaud the Administration’s goal of saving money and increasing efficiency. However, splitting up the labs to distribute them across the U.S. will have the opposite effect. Instead, it will take the centuries of collective expertise the various scientists bring to their work away from the collaborative environment that has facilitated such robust productivity and remove their access to the world-class microscopy and core facilities at BARC that enable them to do the work in a cost-effective and rapid manner. ESA is sympathetic to the fact that Congress has failed to provide for sufficient upkeep of many of the BARC properties, but any cost savings would be dwarfed by the loss of productivity, expertise, and collaboration which support our national agricultural biosecurity.
Furthermore, collaboration with the nearby University of Maryland in College Park enables multigenerational training and knowledge transfer, the loss of which will hinder, not help, scientific progress. Finally, trying to compel people to uproot their lives and move across the country to work in a less productive environment means USDA is more likely to lose generations of talent, because we have already seen how this experiment played out when USDA relocated the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Economic Research Service (ERS) to Kansas City. Those agencies still haven’t fully recovered as you certainly are aware. And at the end of the day, the impacts of this will be borne directly by the producers these scientists dedicate their lives to trying to help.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these concerns further and offer any input that may assist in helping rethink ways to improve cost savings and efficiency while also protecting the integrity of ARS research. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Erin Cadwalader, Ph.D., ESA Director of Strategic Leadership and Policy, at ecadwalader@entsoc.org. Certainly, we all want the same outcome, protecting America’s agricultural security and research enterprise. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. ESA thanks you again for the opportunity to weigh in on this issue.
Best Regards,
Christopher J. Stelzig, CAE
Executive Director
Entomological Society of America