“I’m not going to stand by and allow Montana’s FSA offices to be closed,” said Rehberg.  “These local offices are a great resource for ag producers who need a strong working relationship with the FSA employees. I managed to stop this proposal in last year’s bill and I’m going to see that it happens again in the coming months.”

In December 2006, the USDA announced it was considering closing several FSA offices in Montana, citing that it will be more efficient to consolidate office locations. In response, Rehberg sent several letters and included language in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill that would have halted the proposal until the Farm Bill was enacted. 

However, due to a delay in Farm Bill negotiations, Rehberg, this week, drafted a similar fix for inclusion in the annual Agriculture Appropriations bill for 2009. The Rehberg measure states that “none of the funds made available by this Act may be used to pay the salary or expense of any officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to close or relocate any county or field office of the Farm Service Agency.”