To hear Ken’s report on possible FSA office closures, click here.
WASHINGTON (NAFB) and DYERSVILLE, Iowa – Closing a Farm Service Agency office can be a very hot potato when put into the political arena, but it’s a real possibility under the current restructuring of the Farm Service Agency.
No one knows which FSA offices USDA will close, but those with no employees, and within 20 miles of another office, are most likely. It’s all tied to the 2015 USDA budget; the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture heard about the USDA budget from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Wednesday morning.
Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas noted that funding allocation is likely to result in a significant number of office closures, but Vilsack said he does not anticipate any closures in 2014 while the agency undergoes a work-study analysis.
Vilsack told the Senators that roughly 30 offices currently have no full-time employees and that 111 offices have just one employee and are within 20 miles of another office. The Secretary would like to see three types of FSA offices in the future: central offices with a supervisor and three or more employees; branch offices with at least three employees, but no supervisor; and satellite offices where people could obtain information by appointment.
Vilsack also said the restructuring effort isn?t about saving money, but about modernizing the system. Part of that modernization effort, according to Vilsack, is designed to make the offices a one-stop shop for farmers looking for information on rural development programs, how they might take advantage of conservation programs, and have the FSA offices act as a bridge or connector with those other opportunities.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana warned there could be dire consequences for farmers with fewer FSA offices if they don?t get their programs in a timely manner. Vilsack assured Sen. Tester that would not happen.
