USDA plans office closures, other measures to cut costs

In a cost-cutting measure, dubbed "Blueprint for Stronger Service," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the planned closure of USDA facilities across the country.

Vilsack outlined the cuts in a speech to members of the American Farm Bureau at their annual meeting in Hawaii and in official department statements.

The plan calls for closing 259 offices or facilities across the country, affecting 46 states, one territory and U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters in Washington, DC.

In Wisconsin, the closure affects Marinette County's Farm Service Agency (FSA) office, which is one of those being considered for closure.

Brad Pfaff, state executive director for Wisconsin FSA, and members of his management team have scheduled a public meeting in Marinette County on Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. at the Pound Town Hall in Coleman.

This scheduled meeting will be the only one held to take public comment on USDA's proposed closure of the county office, althought producers can also provide written comment by emailing cally.ehle@wi.usda.gov or sending written comment to 8030 Excelsior Drive Suite 100 Madison, WI 53717, no later than Feb. 10.

The USDA's streamlining plan also calls for the closure of seven foreign offices - two in the Foreign Agricultural Service and five in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

According to the USDA, many of the offices targeted for closure have less than two staffers and are within 20 miles of another USDA location. USDA said advances in information technology have reduced the need for many of these brick-and-mortar facilities.

Vilsack said that once all the closures are complete and other efficiency measures are implemented, it will save the department $150 million a year.



• Farm Service Agency (FSA): Consolidate 131 county offices (about 6.5 percent of all FSA offices) in 32 states; more than 2,100 FSA offices remain throughout the United States.

• Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS): Close two 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 five district offices in five 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 U.S.

• Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNCS): Close 31 field offices in 28 states; 32 FNCS offices will remain throughout the United States



Over the last two years, Congress has cut USDA's discretionary spending levels by about 12 percent, leading to many of these cuts.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) expressed disappointment at the USDA's planned closures.

"It should come as no surprise that FSA and other USDA service and research facilities are closing because of the continued emphasis on spending reduction," said NFU Vice President of Government Relations Chandler Goule.

"A 'cut first, ask questions later' attitude in Congress toward investing in agriculture and rural America is now showing its true cost to farmers, ranchers and rural citizens with these closures. Agriculture cannot be continually asked to do more than its fair share to resolve our nation's deficit problems - our leaders must look elsewhere to find solutions," Goule added.

Vilsack and the USDA have made great strides in conserving resources and streamlining the agency in recent years, doing their best to prevent reductions from affecting the quality of service farmers and ranchers have come to expect, Goule said.

"With the latest spending reductions, it was not possible to avoid painful cuts that will harm farmers and ranchers across the country," he said.

In announcing his "blueprint" for the USDA, Vilsack said that the agency "like families and businesses across the country, cannot continue to operate like we did 50 years ago."

"We must innovate, modernize, and be better stewards of the taxpayers' dollars. We must build on the record accomplishments of farm communities in 2011 with a stronger, more effective USDA in 2012 and beyond," he added.

The cost-cutting measures Vilsack announced are based on a department-wide review of operations conducted as part of an Obama administration campaign to cut waste.

The agency took a hard look at all USDA operations, from headquarters to field offices, said Vilsack. The end result is a plan that will "create optimal use of USDA's employees, better results for USDA customers, and greater efficiencies for American taxpayers," he said.

The review of the USDA and changes that have already been made have saved taxpayers "millions in travel and printing costs" and the consolidation of "more than 700 different cell phone contracts into about 10," according to the USDA press release.

"As we continue to invest in rural communities across the country, USDA has heard from producers about reducing red tape and the need to modernize its services," Vilsack said.

"Today, we are answering the challenge by announcing a series of efforts to help us continue to streamline operations, make the best use of taxpayer resources, and provide the best possible service to the American people."