CENTERVILLE — Dear Editor,



I'd like to plead with the residents of Appanoose County to please, write their comments regarding the Centerville FSA office closure and send them in. It's not too late to be heard, but we are running out of time. The decision in Washington, D.C. has not been made yet and we must get our message to them before the decision is final.

It was clear to me from listening to the public comment meeting broadcast that when Congress came up with the two employees and the 20 mile distance criteria for office closures there were facts and information they didn't consider. If we are quiet they still won't have the facts or information they should have had.

For example, I understand the motivation for this action, but I don't agree with the criteria used for office closure selection. Why use the office size as criteria and not their workload and performance?  If two employees in one office are doing more workload and meeting more producers' needs with better service than a larger office with more employees, then why close the better performing office with fewer employees?  That makes no sense.

Voicing your concerns in the public meeting isn't enough! You must document your comments and concerns and mail them in! John Whitaker made that very clear at the Appanoose County meeting. Notes were taken from the meeting, but that is it. You will not be quoted and your points will not be made the way you want them to be made unless you do it yourself. Please don't rely on someone else to take the stand for you! No one will fight for you. You have to do it yourself. You have to do it in writing.

The deadline to do this is next week, Thursday, Feb. 9 and don't overlook mailing time. Write it now! Do it today! Otherwise you forfeit and we will all lose.

Plus, for you other wives out there-prepare to see your husbands even less than you already do because they will be on the road more often conducting business with FSA offices farther away from home in neighboring counties.

For county residents that think this doesn't concern them, you are wrong. Appanoose County will lose cash flow and that trickles down to all citizens. Businesses will be hurt when farmers who normally come into town to conduct FSA business do their shopping and other business too. Neighboring counties will get that business that was once in Appanoose County. How many more closures can Appanoose handle?

Please fight for your farmers and fight for Appanoose County! We all understand the reasons the Appanoose County FSA office closure proposal is wrong and the magnitude of hardship it will create, but the people in Washington, D.C. need to know too. Please, write them before the deadline, before it is too late!



John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director

Iowa Farm Service Agency

10500 Buena Vista Court

Des Moines, IA 50322

Or you can e-mail him at Dennis.Olsen@ia.usda.gov.



Sen. Chuck Grassley

135 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Or you can e-mail him through his website at: www.grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm



Sen. Tom Harkin

731 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Or you can e-mail him through his website at: http://harkin.senate.gov/contact_opinion.cfm



U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack

1527 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Or you can e-mail him through his website at: https://loebsackforms.house.gov/contactform/default.aspx





Shiree Clark

Centerville