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Central Illinois May Escape Farm Service Agency Cuts

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

By Chris Anderson, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

Sep. 27--BLOOMINGTON -- Forty-three of Illinois' 93 county Farm Service Agency offices are under review for consolidation, but Central Illinois farmers may not see any changes.

Bill Graff, Illinois FSA executive director, said Monday the office consolidations could take place next summer. He said a list of counties under review will be available later in the week.

"This is not about budget," said Graff. "It's about providing better service. Farming's changed. We have larger farms operated by fewer farmers. We can provide everyone with better trained, better staffed offices this way."

Offices joined a review list based on two criteria -- proximity of the office to the next nearest FSA office and an employee/workload ratio. So, offices far away from others and those with heavy workloads are not under review, Graff said.

All county office employees, numbering nearly 500 in the state will be retained, he said. Graff must submit an assessment to FSA officials in Washington, D.C., by Nov. 15.

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to close 715 of its 2,351 offices. The plan would also trim up to 655 jobs through a buyout. The biggest cuts are slated for Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia.

At the county offices, farmers enroll in federal farm programs, request payments and apply for loans. USDA spokeswoman Terri Teuber said the consolidations will take at least three years. The goal is to move as many workers as possible into consolidated offices to provide better staffing, she noted.

"There used to be an equipment dealer in every town. Now there isn't. A lot of farmers do business by fax or e-government, which is available 24 hours a day," said Graff.

"We may have to build some new facilities in order to consolidate. Some existing offices will have room to hold a consolidated staff.

"More of the offices will resemble McLean County -- a bigger office with more people. These are consolidations, not closures. I think your area will fare pretty well."

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

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Source: The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

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