News Releases for October 2005
October 11, 2005
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Hoeven Calls On Secretary Johanns To Retain Farm Service Agency Offices
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today called on U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to retain six Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices in North Dakota, currently under consideration for closure.
"They are already serving farmers efficiently, and any efficiencies gained in collocating FSA offices would only shift the cost and inconvenience to producers in terms of greater distance and travel time to alternative service centers," Hoeven wrote in a letter to the secretary Monday.
An FSA office is located in each North Dakota county in order to provide service to the farmers in those areas. With continued need to interact with FSA offices for Farm Program requirements, crop loans, conservation programs and in some years, disaster assistance sign-up, farmers have developed good working relationships with their local offices. Farmers are better served by staff that is familiar with producers' unique operations, Hoeven wrote. The locations hosting offices are possibly the least expensive to operate, and located in the sort of communities that will be the most adversely affected by their loss, according to Hoeven.
"Secretary Johanns, I agree with efforts to reduce government spending, but closing and combining USDA service centers will have negative consequences on the rural communities and on the farmers served by those offices," Hoeven said. "USDA's mission is to serve farmers."
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