Agricultural News
Perdue Temporarily Reopens Local Farm Service Agency Offices - State Dir. Scott Biggs has Details
Wed, 16 Jan 2019 11:32:41 CST
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that many Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will reopen temporarily in the coming days to perform certain limited services for farmers and ranchers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recalled about 2,500 FSA employees to open offices on Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18, in addition to Tuesday, January 22, during normal business hours. The offices will be closed for the federal Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 21.
In almost half of FSA locations, FSA staff will be available to assist agricultural producers with existing farm loans and to ensure the agency provides 1099 tax documents to borrowers by the Internal Revenue Service's deadline.
"Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America's agricultural producers," Perdue said. "We are bringing back part of our FSA team to help producers with existing farm loans. Meanwhile, we continue to examine our legal authorities to ensure we are providing services to our customers to the greatest extent possible during the shutdown."
Staff members will be available at certain FSA offices to help producers with specific services, including:
- Processing payments made on or before December 31, 2018.
- Continuing expiring financing statements.
- Opening mail to identify priority items.
Additionally, as an intermittent incidental duty, staff may release proceeds from the sale of loan security by signing checks jointly payable to FSA that are brought to the county office by producers.
Information on the locations of FSA offices to be open during this three-day window will be posted:
- On the USDA website.
- On Twitter at @SecretarySonny and @USDA.
- On USDA's Facebook.
While staff are available in person during this three-day window, most available services can be handled over the phone. Producers can begin contacting staff on January 17 here.
Additionally, farmers who have loan deadlines during the lapse in funding do not need to make payments until the government shutdown ends.
Other FSA Programs and Services
Reopened FSA offices will only be able to provide the specifically identified services while open during this limited time. Services that will not be available include, but are not limited to:
- New direct or facility loans.
- New Farm loan guarantees.
- New marketing assistance loans.
- New applications for Market Facilitation Program (MFP).
- Certification of 2018 production for MFP payments.
- Dairy Margin Protection Program.
- Disaster assistance programs, such as:
- Livestock Indemnity Program.
- Emergency Conservation Program.
- Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program.
- Livestock Forage Disaster Program.
- Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish.
According to State FSA Director Scott Biggs, all FSA offices in Oklahoma will be open Thursday, January 17th; Friday, January 18th and Tuesday, January 22nd. Below is a list of those offices that will be open:
- Alfalfa County Service Center 401 W. Cherokee Ave., Ste. A, Cherokee, OK 73728 (580) 596-2625
- Atoka County FSA Service Center 2867 S. Mississippi, Atoka. OK 74525 (580) 889-2554
- Beaver County Service Center 106 W. 1st St., Beaver, OK 73932 (580) 625-3302
- Beckham Service Center 902 NE Highway 66, Sayre OK 73662 (580) 928-3113
- Blaine Service Center 221 E MAIN ST, Watonga, OK 73772 (580) 623-8501
- Bryan County Service Center 200 Gerlach, Durant, OK 74701 (580) 924-4131
- Caddo County Service Center 907 W PETREE RD, UNIT 2, Anadarko, OK 73005 (405) 247-3303
- Canadian Service Center 1625 E US HIGHWAY 66 , El Reno, OK 73036 (405) 262-1958
- Cherokee Service Center 918 W CHOCTAW ST, Tahlequah, OK 74464 (918) 456-1924
- Choctaw County Service Center 2681 US Hwy. 70, Hugo, OK 74743 (580) 326-7516
- Cimarron County Service Center 210 S. Cimarron, Boise City, OK 73933 (580) 544-2401
- Comanche Service Center 1606 NW Lawton Ave, Lawton, OK 73057 (580) 353-2115
- Cotton Service Center 705 W Missouri St, Walters, OK 73572 (580) 875-3395
- Craig Service Center 630 E STEVE OWENS BLVD, Miami, OK 74354 (918) 542-4576
- Custer Service Center 1725 S Highway 183, Clinton, OK 73601 (580) 323-0366
- Dewey Service Center 303 S Broadway, Taloga OK 73667 (580) 328-5331
- Garfield County Service Center 1216 W. Willow Rd. Ste C, Enid, OK 73703 (580) 395-2325
- Garvin Service Center 16664 NORTH BUTLER RD., Pauls Valley, OK 73075 (405) 238-6767
- Grady County Service Center 828 W CHOCTAW AVE, Chickasha, OK 73018 (405) 224-1381
- Grant County Service Center 624 N. Highway 81, Medford, OK 73759 (580) 395-2324
- Greer Service Center 116 E Pierce, Mangum OK 73554 (580) 782-2787
- Harmon Service Center 320 N Main, Hollis OK 73550 (580) 688-2301
- Harper County Service Center 1275 N. 190 Rd., Buffalo, OK 73834 (580) 735-2033
- Hughes County Service Center 419 E. Highway St., Holdenville, OK 74848 (405) 379-3221
- Jackson Service Center 3100 N Main St, Altus OK 73521 (580) 482-4312
- Johnston County Service Center 1014 N. Kemp Ave., Tishomingo, OK 73460 (580) 371-3219
- Kay County Service Center 5501 N. Pleasant View Ave., Newkirk, OK 74647 (580) 362-2575
- Kingfisher Service Center 1600 S 13TH ST, Kingfisher, OK 73750 (405) 375-3200
- Kiowa Service Center 800 W 11th, Hobart OK 73651 (580) 726-3347
- Leflore County Service Center 109 S. Kerr Blvd., Poteau, OK 74953 (918) 647-4800
- Logan Service Center 2227 IRON MOUND RD, Guthrie, OK 73044 (405) 282-1695
- Love County Service Center 1215 N HWY 77, MARIETTA, OK 73448 (580) 276-3201
- Major County Service Center 111 W. Elm Street, Fairview, OK 73737 (580) 227-2844
- Mayes Service Center 4238 NE 1ST, PRYOR, OK 74362 (918) 825-3673
- McClain Service Center 1721 HARDCASTLE BLVD, Purcell, OK 73080 (405) 527-3160
- McCurtain County Service Center 201 N. Central Ave., Idabel, OK 74745 (580) 286-2574
- Noble County Service Center 1302 HWY 77 NORTH, Perry, OK 73077 (580) 336-5591
- Osage Service Center 1000 WEST MAIN ST., SUITE 101, Pawhuska, OK 74056 (918) 287-3570
- Payne County Service Center 2600 S MAIN ST, Stillwater, OK 74074 (405) 372-7071
- Pittsburg County Service Center 2099 N. George Nigh Exp., Mcalester OK 74501 (918) 423-4073
- Roger Mills Service Center 301 E Broadway, Cheyenne OK 73628 (580) 497-2293
- Stephens County Service Center 3901 W. BEECH AVE., Duncan, OK 73534 (580) 255-7676
- Texas County Service Center 601 SE 5th St., Guymon, OK 73942 (580) 338-7379
- Tillman Service Center 102 E Floral Ave, Frederick, OK 73542 (580) 335-2817
- Washita Service Center 1505 N Glenn English, Cordell, OK (580) 832-3275
- Woods County Service Center 927 Oklahoma Blvd. Alva, OK 73717 (580) 327-3136
- Woodward County Service Center 3300 Oklahoma Ave., Woodward, OK 73801 (580) 256-7882
"There's always deadlines dealing with our programs, but right now we're looking at some of the farm loan activities and farm loan customers. So, that's the primary focus of opening these offices to help those customers that are dealing with some of their farm loan and servicing issues, that we can get addressed in these next three days," Biggs said in an interview with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Associate Farm Director Carson Horn. "That's why we're trying to get the word out and trying to let people know we're going to be open for business and hopefully we get to everybody that has an issue. If not, once the furlogh has ended and funding is restored, then we'll definitely be back open for business."
You can listen to that complete interview with Biggs, by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below at the bottom of the page.
While January 15, 2019 had been the original deadline for producers to apply for MFP, farmers have been unable to apply since December 28, 2018, when FSA offices closed because of the lapse in federal funding. Secretary Perdue has extended the MFP application deadline for a period of time equal to the number of business days FSA offices end up being closed, once the government shutdown ends. These announced days of limited staff availability during the shutdown will not constitute days open in calculating the extension. Producers who already applied for MFP and certified their 2018 production by December 28, 2018 should have already received their payments.
More information on MFP is available at www.farmers.gov/manage/mfp
Source - USDA
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