Current and former U.S. Department of Agriculture employees say the agency's planned reorganization, including a new regional hub in Indianapolis, could cause the loss of experienced workers.

In a news conference organized by a federal workers union, employees raised concerns that the reorganization could mirror the USDA's 2019 relocation of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture from Washington, D.C., to Kansas City.

Laura Dodson of the USDA’s Economic Research Service said relatively few employees chose to relocate.

"By the end of that fiscal year, only 14 ERS employees, roughly five percent, had actually reported to Kansas City," Dodson said.

Read more: USDA confirms SNAP hub will move to Indianapolis

She said employees affected by the current reorganization are once again being asked to make difficult decisions about whether to relocate.

"Some of us got letters in June with 30 days to decide: report to Kansas City by October or be involuntarily separated," she said. "There's no remote option this time."

The USDA announced last year that it plans to establish several regional hubs across the country as part of a broader effort to reorganize the department's workforce.

The USDA has said the changes are intended to place employees closer to the people they serve while improving support for farmers, ranchers and rural communities.