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LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Farm Bureau President
Randy Veach expressed caution about the planned closing of 16 USDA
facilities in Arkansas, noting that public hearings on the closings
will be held at 10 different locations begin Jan. 23.
“Those of us in agriculture are willing to take our share of
cuts – we all agree we have got to get the federal deficit under
control – but some of these planned cuts seem to be arbitrary and
driven by something other than common sense,” said Veach, a cotton,
soybean and rice farmer from Manila (Mississippi County). “We view
these closings with some degree of caution.
“These closings will put a hardship on some farmers, greatly
increasing the amount of time it can take to get to the closest
USDA/FSA office, and time is a valuable commodity for everyone.
“First and foremost, we want to ensure that the farmers and
ranchers of this state will have the ability to participate in USDA
programs. If these closings limit the ability of farmers and ranchers
to take part in USDA programs, then that is a clear sign the cuts are
too deep.”
USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack announced plans last week to close 259
offices nationwide – including a total of 16 facilities in Arkansas,
among the most in the nation.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service office in Pulaski
County has been targeted for closure, as well as 10 Farm Service Agency
offices (Benton, Bradley, Fulton, Garland, Faulkner Izard, Johnson,
Lafayette, Logan, Pulaski counties). USDA also plans to close five
Rural Development offices (Faulkner, Hot Spring, Izard, Sevier and
White counties).
Veach said Vilsack broke the news about the USDA office
closings to those in attendance at the American Farm Bureau convention
last week, and the secretary vowed to ensure ongoing access to USDA
programs.
“Sec. Vilsack said he is committed to making sure all USDA
programs are open to farmers and ranchers,” Veach said. “he said the
programs will continue to be streamlined, while online signup and
verification capacity will be enhanced. While I certainly support that
effort, it is important need to realize that there are large parts of
our state where reliable broadband internet service is unavailable.
“As more and more of our business moves into an online
environment, we must work to provide adequate access for those in rural
parts of our state and nation.”
Public hearings have been set for counties where FSA offices are to be closed. The list of hearings:
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Date
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Time
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County
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Location
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Jan. 23
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9:00 a.m.
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Pulaski
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Cooperative Extension State Office, Little Rock
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Jan. 23
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2:00 p.m.
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Garland
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Garland County Public Library, Hot Springs
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Jan. 26
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10:30 a.m.
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Bradley
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Municipal Court Building, Warren
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Jan. 30
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10:30 a.m.
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Lafayette
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Lafayette County Agriplex, Lewisville
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Feb. 1
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9:30 a.m.
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Johnson
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First Security Bank, Clarksville
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Feb. 1
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2:00 p.m.
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Logan
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First National Bank Community Center, Paris
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Feb. 2
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10:30 a.m.
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Faulkner
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Natural Resource Center, Conway
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Feb. 3
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10:30 a.m.
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Fulton
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Fulton County Courthouse, Salem
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Feb. 3
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2:30 p.m.
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Izard
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Izard County Courthouse, Melbourne
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Feb. 6
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10:30 a.m.
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Benton
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Benton County Extension office, Bentonville
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Veach noted Farm Bureau’s current policy regarding farmer access to USDA programs reads: “We
support the efficient delivery of farm programs and retention of
county committee structures with all counties represented, even if the
number of county FSA, NRCS and Rural Economic and Community Development
offices is reduced. Whenever county offices are combined, equal board
member representation should be ensured.”
“It is clear from our policy position that Farm Bureau
members realize the delivery of service is the most important role of
the USDA offices,” Veach said. “We need to ensure access to services is
not restricted by these planned office closings.”
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