Local farmers oppose closing FSA office
Nov 2, 2007—A report in the Cookeville, Tennessee newspaper report indicates opposition to closing a regional Farm Service Agency office.
In Putnam County, Beef cattle producer Sam Tays does not want to see the Tennessee State Office of the Farm Service Agency office in Cookeville closed.
"Farmers from other counties use the Cookeville office," said Tays. "Putnam County is the center of the Upper Cumberland. People come here to work, eat and conduct their business."
The Tennessee State Office of the Farm Service Agency has proposed closing eight county offices throughout the state, including the Putnam County office in Cookeville. Staff members and farm records would be transferred to the White County office.
Jamie Jenkins, state executive director of the Farm Service Agency, held a public hearing Tuesday evening at the Hyder-Burks Agriculture Pavilion. The hearing was an opportunity for local agricultural producers to defend the need for an office in Putnam County.
The suggested closure is part of a federal push to close up FSA offices that are under-utilized.
Information obtained in the hearing will be taken into consideration when final decisions are made. County farmers have 10 days after the hearing to submit written comments to the state. After the 10 day period expires, the state committee will review the comments and make a final decision on the closure of the office. The decision will then go to the Deputy Administration for Field Operations (DAFO) for final approval. DAFO then notifies the Ag Committee and Appropriations Committee of Congress in Washington D.C. of their decision. After the notification, the state must wait 120 days before closing a county office.
For more than a year, the Putnam County office has been a part-time office open only two days a week and sharing employees with White County. According to area farmers, when one staff member of the Putnam County FSA office retired and another passed away in a farming accident, they were never replaced, leaving the county at an unfair disadvantage.
More than two years ago, each state office was required to submit a plan to the national office to identify offices that could be closed. Tennessee was the 43rd state to submit their plan.
"What the state office is doing is trying to comprise the most effective and efficient service for all the farmers in Tennessee," said Jenkins. "It's a tougher job with fewer resources. We have to make sure that the people are aware of how to administer the programs. We feel that the better way to do that is have better staffing at our offices allowing for better training and allowing people to have the days off that they have earned. The problem right now is that we have 72 offices and only 238 employees to distribute among those offices. We have 38 county offices that are understaffed."
According to Jenkins, Putnam County's office was targeted to be consolidated because of the low number of farmers participating in programs offered by the Farm Service Agency.
"The number of farmers participating in FSA programs in Putnam County and in other tobacco growing counties really decreased when tobacco was taken out the Farm Bill," said Jenkins. "That is what the Farm Service Agency does - we administer the Farm Bill."
If the proposal is adopted by Congress, Putnam County farmers would have the option of choosing among the FSA offices in Gainesboro, Sparta, Livingston, Smithville, Carthage or Crossville, which are located approximately 19, 20, 22, 29, 37 and 38 miles, respectively, from the Cookeville office.
More than a dozen farmers who spoke during the meeting urged the committee to keep an office in
Nov 2, 2007—A report in the Cookeville, Tennessee newspaper report indicates opposition to closing a regional Farm Service Agency office.
In Putnam County, Beef cattle producer Sam Tays does not want to see the Tennessee State Office of the Farm Service Agency office in Cookeville closed.
"Farmers from other counties use the Cookeville office," said Tays. "Putnam County is the center of the Upper Cumberland. People come here to work, eat and conduct their business."
The Tennessee State Office of the Farm Service Agency has proposed closing eight county offices throughout the state, including the Putnam County office in Cookeville. Staff members and farm records would be transferred to the White County office.
Jamie Jenkins, state executive director of the Farm Service Agency, held a public hearing Tuesday evening at the Hyder-Burks Agriculture Pavilion. The hearing was an opportunity for local agricultural producers to defend the need for an office in Putnam County.
The suggested closure is part of a federal push to close up FSA offices that are under-utilized.
Information obtained in the hearing will be taken into consideration when final decisions are made. County farmers have 10 days after the hearing to submit written comments to the state. After the 10 day period expires, the state committee will review the comments and make a final decision on the closure of the office. The decision will then go to the Deputy Administration for Field Operations (DAFO) for final approval. DAFO then notifies the Ag Committee and Appropriations Committee of Congress in Washington D.C. of their decision. After the notification, the state must wait 120 days before closing a county office.
For more than a year, the Putnam County office has been a part-time office open only two days a week and sharing employees with White County. According to area farmers, when one staff member of the Putnam County FSA office retired and another passed away in a farming accident, they were never replaced, leaving the county at an unfair disadvantage.
More than two years ago, each state office was required to submit a plan to the national office to identify offices that could be closed. Tennessee was the 43rd state to submit their plan.
"What the state office is doing is trying to comprise the most effective and efficient service for all the farmers in Tennessee," said Jenkins. "It's a tougher job with fewer resources. We have to make sure that the people are aware of how to administer the programs. We feel that the better way to do that is have better staffing at our offices allowing for better training and allowing people to have the days off that they have earned. The problem right now is that we have 72 offices and only 238 employees to distribute among those offices. We have 38 county offices that are understaffed."
According to Jenkins, Putnam County's office was targeted to be consolidated because of the low number of farmers participating in programs offered by the Farm Service Agency.
"The number of farmers participating in FSA programs in Putnam County and in other tobacco growing counties really decreased when tobacco was taken out the Farm Bill," said Jenkins. "That is what the Farm Service Agency does - we administer the Farm Bill."
If the proposal is adopted by Congress, Putnam County farmers would have the option of choosing among the FSA offices in Gainesboro, Sparta, Livingston, Smithville, Carthage or Crossville, which are located approximately 19, 20, 22, 29, 37 and 38 miles, respectively, from the Cookeville office.
More than a dozen farmers who spoke during the meeting urged the committee to keep an office in
