Proposal to Close USDA Farm Service Agency Offices May Be Delayed

Sep. 22–A U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal to close more than one fourth of the nation’s 2,353 Farm Service Agency offices, including some in California, may be delayed, following a vote this week in the U.S. Senate.

The Senate voted Tuesday to postpone a USDA money-saving move to consolidate offices where farmers get loans and subsidy payments.

California has 32 of the offices and has closed 15 in recent years, said John Smythe, Davis-based state executive director of the agency.

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