Congressman Paul Tonko sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday asking him to reconsider the proposed closing of the Albany County Farm Service Agency office in Voorheesville.

Under USDA’s Blueprint for Stronger Service, Secretary Vilsack proposed closing 131 FSA offices nationwide. Three additional FSA offices are slated for closure across New York State in addition to the Albany County office.

“I believe the government should operate efficiently and deliver services to the public in a cost effective manner; we should cut where we can so that we can invest where we must,” said Congressman Tonko. “I agree with the many farmers and producers of Albany County and the surrounding area: the Albany County FSA office is a must. The expertise and central service provided at the Voorheesville office is irreplaceable. I will continue to fight to keep this office open so that Capital Region farmers have timely access to the resources and information they need to make a living and put food on all our tables.”

The full text of the letter is below:

March 6, 2012

Dear Secretary Vilsack:

I am writing to request that you abandon plans to close the Albany County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Voorheesville, NY.  Closing this office would inflict severe inconvenience and hardship on the many farmers in my District who rely its services.  I am aware that the Department is looking for ways to reduce its budget, and I certainly believe the government should operate efficiently and deliver services to the public in a cost effective manner.  However, we should not be balancing the budget by passing costs onto those least able to bear them.  The agricultural community in my area is still struggling to recover from the devastating floods that occurred last August due to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.   Closure of these offices would impose additional burdens on farmers in our area at a time they most need to access services through their local FSA office.  

I recognize the last Farm Bill included language regarding the potential closure of county FSA offices.  This language indicated that offices that were within 20 miles of another FSA office and had fewer than two employees would be prioritized for closure.  These criteria are wholly insufficient for making such decisions.  The Department should have conducted an analysis of the potential impact the closure of an FSA office would have on the delivery of services to the farmers in a particular service area.  Factors such as: the actual increases in travel time and fuel costs that would be experienced by producers; the current and historical case load of the office; the number, size, and diversity of products being produced on farms served by the office;  special circumstances that may be contributing to exceptional need for USDA program support (e.g. recent experience with natural disasters); and the ability of other offices to absorb additional workload as producers from a wider area shift to remaining offices.  Finally, other opportunities for cost savings should be considered that would meet the need for budget reductions with the lowest impact on vital service delivery points.    

In the case of the Albany County FSA office in Voorheesville, the staffing level is low as a result of a previous agreement to enable cost reduction while maintaining service access through this office for the agricultural community.  The staffing level may be low, but the demand for services from this office is not.  The FSA representative is co-located with the Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District and Cornell Cooperative Extension.  Removing the FSA representative does not serve the goal of efficiency: it simply cuts off farmers’ access to one-stop agricultural assistance.

Another unique asset of this Albany County FSA office is its close location to the capital of New York State.  The close proximity to the capital facilitates greater communication and coordination between federal and state agricultural assistance programs enabling the network of offices throughout New York to serve the specific needs of farmers in our state.  This productive collaboration would not be as effective without an FSA office in Albany County, the Capital County of New York State. 

The Voorheesville office has been invaluable in providing services to the many producers in our area who were impacted severely by last year’s flood events.  There are a number of communities in the 21^st Congressional District that do not have easy or affordable access to internet services.  Even for producers who do have access, it is cut off during extreme weather events such as last year’s floods leaving producers without vital information and program materials at the time they are most needed.  Even when internet access is possible, a website is not a replacement for the expertise, personal service and guidance that staff of the FSA office can provide.  The people in the local FSA office are the face of USDA for our producers.  These people are trusted members of the agricultural community, have knowledge of the producers they serve and the special challenges they may face in any given season.  Their connection to the community coupled with their knowledge of USDA programs is essential to make USDA programs work.  This link should be strengthened, not cut off.       

Albany County was fortunate not to have experienced the loss of farms over the past few decades that other places close to urban areas have seen.  In fact, the number of farms has increased, and some of these operations have drawn new people into agriculture including farms owned and operated by women.  There are about 500 farms in Albany County, and the type of farming has diversified greatly.  In New York, many of our farmers have heeded the signals from the marketplace to diversify their production and to market their products to local businesses and through farmers markets.  We now have many more producers providing grass fed beef, organic produce, pick-your-own fruit farms, fiber producers, and horticultural operations.  Dairy continues to be an important pursuit as well.  In addition, New York State farmers once again led the nation in the amount of food they provided to local food banks.  In the current economy, the demand for food provided through these organizations has increased dramatically.  Support for New York State farmers must be maintained if they are to continue to support themselves and their neighbors. 

A diversified agricultural base provides many benefits to producers and to neighboring communities.  If anything, there is greater need for USDA program support associated with these efforts.  USDA’s policy is to support small, independent farms and diversified production.  The closure of the Voorheesville office sends precisely the opposite message.  If we are truly to achieve our goal of having USDA provide “stronger service” and make government “work better and more efficiently for the American people,” then maintaining the offices that deliver services to the taxpayer locally in a convenient and efficient manner is essential.

You have always been a strong advocate for the agricultural community.  I respectfully request that the Department abandon the plan to reduce access to USDA’s vital programs in support of our agricultural communities by closing the Albany County FSA office in Voorheesville.  Maintenance of a healthy rural economy with productive, profitable farming operations is essential for all Americans to have access to fresh, high quality food and agricultural products.

Thank you for your attention and consideration.  I look forward to working with you to ensure we maintain a vibrant agricultural economy.