Link: http://www.usda.gov/2005/09/0405.xml Release No. 0405.05 Terri Teuber (202) 720-4623 Kent Politsch (202) 720-7163 JOHANNS ANNOUNCES PROPOSAL TO MODERNIZE THE FARM SERVICE AGENCY WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2005 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced today that he is opening a dialogue with state and congressional leaders to discuss how best to modernize the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to ensure it meets the needs of farmers and ranchers in the 21st Century. "FSA is an agency with a strong record of service to farmers and ranchers," said Johanns. "To continue that tradition we must examine our future course with vision and an understanding that producers' needs are changing. "Our FSA state directors are engaging stakeholders, local, and state congressional leaders to develop proposals that will help us chart the course for the agency's future. My hope is that we can agree on a plan that will make it possible to invest in equipment, technology and our employees. We want to ensure that top notch service is provided to our farmers and ranchers long into the future," Johanns said. The FSA dates back to the 1930s when one in four Americans lived on a farm and it was necessary to maintain a presence in virtually every rural county to administer farm payments. Agriculture and rural America have changed dramatically since that time, as have farm programs, while the structure of FSA has undergone fewer dramatic changes. While many farmers are equipped to conduct business via the Internet, FSA technologies do not fully support web-based services. Nationally, the agency has 2,351 county offices across the country. More than 400 of these offices now have two or fewer full-time staff. Nearly 500 offices are within 20 miles of the next nearest office. And, the cost of delivering services varies widely, ranging from less than 1 cent for the delivery of a dollar of program benefits to more than $2 in expenses for every dollar of benefits delivered. FSA state executive directors are currently reviewing analytical information for their respective states. This data includes workload assessments for each office, location of offices in proximity to one another, farm lending volume and density of agricultural activity. The state executive directors will work with stakeholders, local, state and congressional leaders to consider local needs that might not be reflected in the data and submit consolidation proposals by November 15. The ultimate goal of the modernization proposal is to create a network of state-of the-art FSA offices by upgrading equipment, investing in technology and providing personnel with additional training. Minimal, if any, net reductions in personnel are anticipated. More information about FSA programs is available at www.fsa.usda.gov. USDA News oc.news@xxxxxxxx 202 720-4623 ---------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to webservices@xxxxxxxx and reference your email address.
