USDA Officials Getting a Handle on Farm Bill Implementation

May 8, 2002

USDA officials have visited the Essex County Farm Service Agency office in Tappahannock and the Dinwiddie County office, both in Virginia, in an effort to gauge the expected impact of the new farm bill on FSA staff and the farmers in the region.

Farm Service Agency Administrator James R. Little, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services J. B. Penn, and Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Thomas Hunt Shipman joined Virginia FSA State Executive Director John A. Johnson and District Director Robert A. Taylor in the visit.

"It's a good opportunity for our Washington folks to see where the rubber meets the road. I was glad to have them visit," Johnson said. "We can offer a field view of how our programs are administered and what we expect to be facing once the farm bill comes down to the field level."

"The Farm Service Agency is already hard at work identifying what needs to be done to implement the new farm bill," Little said. "We know our farmers will be looking to us for quick implementation and we want to make sure we can meet their expectations."