Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack officially informed Congress that in 90 days USDA plans to approve consolidation of 131 Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices with other USDA service centers.
Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack released USDA’s “Blueprint for Stronger Services,” which proposed closing 259 domestic offices, facilities and labs and seven foreign offices, including the 131 FSA offices, for an estimated savings of $150 million annually. The FSA offices that will be closed are located within 20 miles of another office and employ two or fewer permanent full-time employees.