Vilsack says merging county Farm Service Agency offices will lead to better service

Secretary Tom Vilsack

Realigning and consolidating as many as 250 Farm Service Agency offices will improve service, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday, when members expressed concern about the Department of Agriculture's plan to close the offices, Chris Clayton reports for DTN The Progressive Farmer.

Vilsack said 30 offices have no employees, 111 have one full-time or part-time employee, and another 100 one-employee officers are within 30 miles of another office, Claytonn writes. "Vilsack said the consolidation is about improving services by ensuring more cross-trained people will be at bigger offices to offer services." Vilsack told the committee, "This is about better service. It's not about services going away. It's not about consolidation for the sake of consolidation." (Read more) For an interactive map of FSA locations by state click here.