Johanns Proposes to Modernize FSA
September 30, 2005
September 30, 2005 -- Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced that he is opening a dialogue with state and congressional leaders to discuss how best to modernize the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to ensure it meets the needs of farmers and ranchers in the 21st Century.
"FSA is an agency with a strong record of service to farmers and ranchers," said Johanns. "To continue that tradition we must examine our future course with vision and an understanding that producers' needs are changing.?
The FSA dates back to the 1930s when one in four Americans lived on a farm and it was necessary to maintain a presence in virtually every rural county to administer farm payments. Agriculture and rural America have changed dramatically since that time, as have farm programs, while the structure of FSA has undergone fewer dramatic changes. While many farmers are equipped to conduct business via the Internet, FSA technologies do not fully support web-based services.
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