The Department of Agriculture will close 131 Farm Service Agency offices and another 118 other offices, facilities or labs to save more than $150 million, in response to more than $3 billion in cuts to USDA's discretionary budget since 2010, Secretary Tom Vilsack announced during the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual meeting in Hawaii. Most of the offices that will close are located in rural areas; this list indicates that Arkansas will take the biggest hit.
Vilsack said the cuts would make USDA more efficient. He admitted the closure of FSA offices will cause inconvenience for farmers, but wouldn't result in a loss of services, reports Chris Clayton of DTN/Progressive Farmer. "They may have to drive five or 10 extra miles from where they once drove. They’re still going to see the same people behind the counter," Vilsack told Julie Harker of Brownfield Network. The FSA closures include 35 offices that have no employees primarily assigned to them, and the others have no more than two employees and are located within 20 miles of another FSA office.
Also slated for closure are offices in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Food Safety Inspection Service, making some concerned about effects on food safety. The Associated Press reports the FSIS office that inspects all meat, poultry and egg products for Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota and Wyoming will be closed, and it's not clear if operations will be shifted to another office. However, Elisabeth Hagen, undersecretary for food safety, told AP "there wouldn’t be a reduction in inspectors or inspection work." (Read more)
Other USDA agencies facing office closures are the Agricultural Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural Development. A press release of Vilsack's statement is here. There's also a USDA map showing where offices will be closed.
Vilsack said the cuts would make USDA more efficient. He admitted the closure of FSA offices will cause inconvenience for farmers, but wouldn't result in a loss of services, reports Chris Clayton of DTN/Progressive Farmer. "They may have to drive five or 10 extra miles from where they once drove. They’re still going to see the same people behind the counter," Vilsack told Julie Harker of Brownfield Network. The FSA closures include 35 offices that have no employees primarily assigned to them, and the others have no more than two employees and are located within 20 miles of another FSA office.
Also slated for closure are offices in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Food Safety Inspection Service, making some concerned about effects on food safety. The Associated Press reports the FSIS office that inspects all meat, poultry and egg products for Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota and Wyoming will be closed, and it's not clear if operations will be shifted to another office. However, Elisabeth Hagen, undersecretary for food safety, told AP "there wouldn’t be a reduction in inspectors or inspection work." (Read more)
Other USDA agencies facing office closures are the Agricultural Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural Development. A press release of Vilsack's statement is here. There's also a USDA map showing where offices will be closed.
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