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Farm Service Agency Could Close 30 Kentucky Offices

Posted on: Sunday, 17 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Jul. 16--The federal agency that administers farm programs is considering closing a third of the offices in Kentucky.

Kentucky Farm Service Agency state director Jeff Hall said about 30 of the current 90 offices might be closed. Hall also said 51 positions, of about 450, might be eliminated as part of a national staff reduction of more than 600 jobs.

"Kentucky takes a pretty good lick," Hall said yesterday. "It affects us more than it does really any other state."

He said employees would be offered buyout incentives and severance packages.

Hall said the changes are being made because of the loss of the tobacco program -- 43 of the 51 positions that are being eliminated were related directly to tobacco.

The FSA tracked production, quota and leases of tobacco. This year, for the first time since the Depression, farmers can grow and sell as much tobacco as they want, but they will face open-market prices.

Now that the price-support system is dead, he said, there is less work for FSA agents.

The FSA also helps farmers with loan programs, commodity supports, environmental programs, business plans, disaster assistance and more.

Hall would not say which county offices are under consideration for closure, but he said the decisions are being based on workload, number of employees and driving distances to alternative county offices.

Many counties already share an FSA office.

"I don't think most producers know about what we're doing yet," Hall said. "We're encouraging people in the counties to talk to producers in the areas, so we are making combinations that make sense. I don't want to put two counties together where nobody ever drives from one county to the other -- they may go the other direction."

The FSA hopes to have a final list of closures around Aug. 1.

"We're still making changes I as I meet with counties in the next two weeks we're going to be making even more changes," Hall said. "There's not an accurate list that I can give you today because it's going to change until then."

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Copyright (c) 2005, Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

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Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.)

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