Thursday, January 12, 2012

USDA to close 259 offices

The U.S. Agriculture Department announced Monday it will close nearly 260 offices nationwide, a move that won praise for cutting costs but raised concerns about the possible effect on food safety. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the goal was to save $150 million a year in the agency's $145 billion budget. About $90 million had already been saved by reducing travel and supplies, and the closures were expected to save another $60 million, he said. The plan calls for 259 offices, labs and other facilities to be closed, affecting the USDA headquarters in Washington and operations in 46 states. Seven foreign offices also will be shut. Vilsack said he didn't anticipate widespread layoffs, in part because 7,000 USDA employees took early retirements over the past year. He said the agency is trying to do more with less in light of federal cutbacks, and many of the offices to be closed had few employees or were near other offices...more

According to a USDA press release, their proposal is the following:


* Farm Service Agency (FSA): Consolidate 131 county offices in 32 states; more than 2,100 FSA offices remain throughout the United States
* Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS): Close 2 country offices; more than 95 FAS offices remain throughout the world
* Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): Close 15 APHIS offices in 11 states and 5 APHIS offices in 5 foreign countries; more than 560 APHIS offices remain throughout the United States and 55 remain throughout the world
* Rural Development (RD): Close 43 area and sub offices in 17 states and U.S. territories; approximately 450 RD offices remain throughout the United States
* Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): Close 24 soil survey offices in 21 states; more than 2,800 NRCS offices remain throughout the United States
* Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS): Close 5 district offices in 5 states; 10 district offices remain throughout the United States
* Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Close 12 programs at 10 locations; more than 240 programs remain throughout the United States
* Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNCS): Close 31 field offices in 28 states; 32 FNCS offices will remain throughout the United States

You can view the plan map here.

Looks like a good start, but only a start, to downsizing USDA.  That sentiment doesn't appear to be unanimously shared however.

"Kevin Ross, 31, a sixth-generation farmer in Iowa, expressed concern about how services would be affected. Farmers could drop out of programs if they have to travel long distances, he said."

Exactly, let's hope that happens.  It probably won't though.  Does anyone believe farmers will travel "long distances" to attend the state fair but won't make a similar trip to get government money?  Besides, given today's technology, they can stay on the government dole while sitting at home:

"Bruce Babcock, a farm economist at Iowa State University and director of the school's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, said consolidation was a long time coming, given that advances in technology made it possible to file applications and do other tasks over the phone or online."

We're still a long ways from getting those who farm the subsidized crops on the semblance of a market system.  It's time they joined the non-subsidized farmers, like those who grow alfalfa and other crops.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How about the non-subsidized livestock farmers? If there is a subsidy for us let me know where it is. lol