INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana made it into the top three, but lost out on being the home for the United States Department of Agriculture’s new offices.
Indiana, Kansas City and North Carolina were the top three sites, with Kansas City winning out. More than 130 parties in 35 states expressed interest in hosting the site.
The region will host the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, both under the USDA umbrella.
“The deal that Kansas [City] put forward was pretty financially sweet, as I read it,” Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said. “Congratulations to them.”
The Kansas and Missouri state and local governments offered relocation packages totaling more than $26 million, the USDA said.
The criteria for selecting the new location included quality of life for the area, costs (both capital and operating), workforce, and IT infrastructure.
“I am beyond proud of our Indiana Economic Development Corporation team,” Holcomb said. “They worked truly around the clock. We worked into the wee hours of the night, left nothing to chance. … You don’t win them all, but we’re gonna go for them all.”
