By ANN HINCH
Assistant Editor

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If the House’s version of the farm bill – which passed vote on July 27 – maintains the provision through to final law, Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices slated to close nationwide would be delayed by one year.

Rep. Ed Whitfield (Ky.), one of only a handful of Republicans who voted for the farm bill, said he especially likes this provision because his district is heavily agricultural. “The farmers love that because they can go and get advice and talk about the CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) and programs,” he said.

“We want to be efficient,” agreed Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.), who voted for the bill, about a reason USDA has given for closing some offices. “But I think it became apparent to me the inefficiencies in (FSA) weren’t the offices, but the (outdated) equipment and the inconsistencies among (information in the) offices.”

When two offices consolidate – as is proposed for Hamilton and Tipton counties, as well as other pairs across Indiana – it also shrinks the local FSA committees into one instead of two, cutting the possible number of members in half while doubling the size the committee must oversee. Each committee can have, at most, only five members, and though state FSA applied to Washington, D.C., for an increase in size for consolidated counties, it was denied.

“We know the area we represent pretty well, because we farm in that area,” Ed Melshen, a Hamilton County committee member, said. “We can keep a better eye on any illegal activity.”

Committee Chairman Jerry Brown guessed most people who don’t favor consolidation didn’t attend the Aug. 1 hearing in Noblesville, Ind., because they’ve heard this before. “Every time somebody says we’re going to close, they say, ‘Eh, it’s not going to close,’” he explained.

Despite assurances from Indiana FSA that specific proposed office closings are not based on anything other than numbers and short-staffing, Melshen worries Hamilton County is on the list because of complaints the state office has received from some larger farmers. He explained they don’t always take the time to properly set up their paperwork with the FSA and, as a result, don’t receive timely payments – leading to complaints.

“Well, we’ve got to treat everyone the same,” Melshen said, adding this makes the local office appear as though it’s not doing its job. He thinks the solution is more personnel or less paperwork, not one less office.

“(Office employee) is not a huge-paid job, and there’s a lot of knowledge and a lot of time expected out of it.”