The Hearing

Linda and I attended the hearing at the Big Creek Grange on the closure of the Farm Services Agency office in Carbon County.  The room was packed with about a hundred farmers, many of them middle-aged or older, most of them Pennsylvania Dutch, and all of them very angry.  

Sen. Toomey sent a staffer to act sympathetic, and Congressman Barletta had two aides there to talk to the farmers.  Toomey and Barletta, of course, are among the members of Congress demanding government cutbacks.  Unfortunately, most of the farmers in the room blamed the Administration for closing down the office.  About 15 farmers spoke, but I was the only one who pointed out that if corporations and CEOs paid their fair share of taxes, the Department of Agriculture might have more money.  What I didn’t point out, and am kicking myself for, is that the enabling legislation was passed during the Bush administration.

The decision on which FSA offices to close was not based on need or office efficiency.  If the office has two or fewer employees and is within 20 miles of another FSA office “as the crow flies,” it is scheduled for closure.  I thought the best comment was made by a dairy farmer who said, “I don’t have wings.”  Now local farmers, many of them older and all of them busy, must now travel to Bethlehem to discuss programs and issues with FSA staff members.  

Linda asked the moderator if the hearing was meaningful or just a symbolic gesture.  She was assured that a final decision had not yet been made.  Maybe Toomey and Barletta will save the office.  Their representatives certainly know the opinion of the area farmers.