USDA official outlines producer survey on office consolidation, warns producers to meet tight deadline

Carol Ritter, Acting Supervisor of the Farm Service Agency, told the Culbertson Town Council that the USDA is preparing a questionnaire to survey active producers about the consolidation of local offices.

Ritter said the survey will be sent to active producers served by FSA, NRCS and RECDS in Roosevelt County — roughly 1,200 people — and that the Montana Agricultural Statistics Service will conduct the work. She said surveys were expected to be mailed around Jan. 20 and due back about Jan. 30, with results possibly available in mid-February. Ritter stressed that the survey should be considered a democratic vote on office consolidation and urged producers to return it promptly because of the short response window.

The minutes record the dates, the agencies involved (Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural Economic and Community Development Service) and the approximate producer count. The council did not take action on the item; it was recorded as information for the record. The minutes advise special attention because the survey will come from the Montana Agricultural Statistics Service and carriers a strict time limit for returns.