Audio provided by Susan Littlefield, American Ag Network
Audio with USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce
(NAFB News Service) USDA says rebuilding staffing levels in local Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service offices remains a priority. Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce says office staffing is a concern he’s hearing from farmers nationwide.
“But if we don’t have those folks in the county office, I mean, they’re the rubber where the rubber meets the road, and they’re the ones that get the work done. They’re the ones that actually offer that exceptional customer service to the folks that we serve. And so they are critically important. And we’re doing everything we can to try to get those offices restaffed. You know, it takes a little bit of time, you know, we lost a lot of folks in a pretty quick fashion. It takes a little bit of time to get folks back in there. But we’re working really hard to get that done.
But if we don’t have those folks in the county office, I mean, they’re the rubber where the rubber meets the road, and they’re the ones that get the work done. They’re the ones that actually offer that exceptional customer service to the folks that we serve. And so they are critically important. And we’re doing everything we can to try to get those offices restaffed. You know, it takes a little bit of time, you know, we lost a lot of folks in a pretty quick fashion. It takes a little bit of time to get folks back in there. But we’re working really hard to get that done.”
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