Letter to The Honorable Michael Johanns, Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture

Letter

Letter to The Honorable Michael Johanns, Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture

Senator Clinton Reiterates Call for USDA to Halt Proposed Closures of Local Agriculture Outreach Offices Throughout New York State

Clinton Urges USDA to Shift Focus to Enhancement of Services, Rather Than Pursuing Plans to Consolidate and Reduce Local Field Offices

Legislation Would Block Planned Closure of USDA Field Offices in Albany, Broome, Clinton, Fulton, Herkimer, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Oswego, Rensselaer, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates Counties

Today Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton once again called on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to halt their proposal to close local Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Rural Development (RD) field offices in New York State and throughout the country. In a letter to USDA Secretary Michael Johanns, Senator Clinton voiced her strong opposition to the plans, pointing out that the field offices serve as vital resources to New York's rural communities, and suggested that the focus of the USDA should be concentrated on improving the quality of the field offices rather than eliminating them.

"The USDA field offices provide convenient locations where New York's farmers have access to a host of outstanding resources that are not only helpful but sometimes vital for their businesses," said Senator Clinton. "The benefit to rural Americans is greatly diminished if they are forced to spend valuable time and money traveling greater distances to several different offices to obtain services they used to receive closer to their operations and their communities. This is not a choice that our farmers can live with, and it is not a burden they should have to bear. I strongly urge the USDA to consider the negative impact this will have on farmers in New York and throughout the country, and to withdraw their proposals to consolidate and close the local field offices."

In response to feedback following a series of public meetings held by the USDA, Senator Clinton continued to urge the USDA to withdraw their proposal to reduce staff and close or consolidate local field offices. Senator Clinton has argued that a more productive course of action would be to work on addressing staffing shortages by enhancing recruitment and training efforts, and to tackle the difficulties associated with the current computer system so that there could be a more efficient capitalization of the available services. Facilities planned for closure in New York are located in Albany, Broome, Clinton, Fulton, Herkimer, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Oswego, Rensselaer, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins, Wayne And Yates Counties.

Earlier this summer, Senator Clinton introduced legislation that will act as a companion to legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. The bill will prohibit the closure or relocation of any county field office of the USDA until at least one year after the enactment of the coming Farm Bill, to provide for the continuation of agricultural programs for fiscal years after 2007. This language was accepted into the House version of the 2007 Farm Bill and Senator Clinton is pushing for its inclusion in the upcoming Senate version of this reauthorization.

A copy of the Senator Clinton's letter to Secretary Johanns is attached -

September 13, 2007

The Honorable Michael Johanns
Secretary
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I am writing in regards to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposals to close Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development field offices.

Recently, the USDA concluded a series of public meetings in New York State on these proposals. Based on the feedback I have received from those meetings, it is clear to me that New York communities and producers strongly oppose the current proposals.

New York producers have raised a number of concerns about the proposals. First, many producers are concerned that closures will mean longer travel to field offices, raising transportation costs at a time when farmers are already being squeezed by higher energy costs. Second, many farmers are not convinced that the proposed closings will increase the efficiency of services or benefit farmers, as the USDA has claimed.

These field offices serve as a vital resource for New York communities. The offices provide important information and opportunities to farmers, allowing for greater success in our rural communities. Rather than closing the offices, the USDA should address staff shortages by creating programs to sustain and train current and future employees to serve areas where limited staff and recruitment are a problem. I am also aware of difficulties associated with the current computer systems used for USDA services. These problems should be addressed instead of pursuing a plan that will discourage capitalizing of those services.

With all of these concerns, I have concluded that the USDA proposals should not go forward. I have introduced S. 1821, which would prohibit the closure or relocation of any county, local or field office of the FSA, NRCS or any office related to the rural development mission of the USDA until at least 1 year after the enactment of the 2007 Farm Bill.

This legislation has already been embraced by the House of Representatives in their version of this year's reauthorization. However, in the best interest of our farmers, I believe that you should withdraw the closure proposals and work on a plan that improves the quality of USDA field offices.

I look forward to working with you, the USDA and my colleagues in the Senate, to ensure the best possible service for our farmers.

Sincerely yours,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

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