FSA Office Closure Plan is Premature and Misguided
By Rep. Stephanie Herseth
March 23, 2007

Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its intention to consolidate Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices in South Dakota. Under this plan, seven county offices in South Dakota would be eliminated, requiring producers to travel greater distances to receive necessary services including critical price support, conservation, and disaster programs.

I have heard from hundreds of South Dakota producers in opposition to this plan, and I share their concerns about the effect a major consolidation will have on individual farm and ranch families, especially in some of South Dakota’s most rural counties. I also have doubts that the plan will result in substantial savings of taxpayer dollars, but I am sure it will result in increased inconvenience, travel time and cost to producers. Local FSA offices are a vital lifeline to farmers and ranchers in South Dakota and it is unfortunate that USDA does not fully recognize their value to our state.

The counties scheduled to be consolidated or closed are Campbell County, Hyde County, Sanborn County, Jackson County, Mellette County, Dewey County and Ziebach County. These are some of South Dakota’s most expansive areas. The producers in these counties already travel long distances and at great expense to utilize FSA resources, and this plan will only increase those hardships.

For these reasons, I recently introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to prevent the closure of FSA offices until at least 12 months after the passage of the next Farm Bill, including those offices scheduled for closure in South Dakota. This is a reasonable delay that would ensure that no final decisions are made until we have a better understanding of what the next Farm Bill will look like.

To me, it’s common sense that we would wait until we have more information about the specific demands the 2007 Farm Bill will place on our already busy FSA offices before jumping to any conclusions. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee and its subcommittees for Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research; and General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, I will work to ensure that any FSA personnel moves do not hurt family producers that rely on their local offices for timely and personal access to USDA’s farm programs. Before making anything final, we need to make sure we’ve got all the facts.