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County Considers Cutting Farm Services Agency; Farmers May Be The Biggest Losers
June 12, 2009
Four county employees in a North Escambia farm services office are in danger of losing their jobs, and that means that millions in federal funds may no longer be poured into a $32 million a year industry.
Farmers and landowners across North Escambia are upset that the county employees in the Natural Resources Conservation Division (NRCS) of Escambia County Neighborhoods and Community Services Bureau may be cut to save the county $254,000 a year. And District 5 Commissioner Kevin White is fighting mad.
“You just don’t quite understand what the farming community does,” White told three of his fellow commissioners at a Thursday morning budget workshop. White acknowledged that District 1 Commissioner Wilson Robertson did understand the importance of farming in the county since he had previously served as the commissioner from District 5 — the only district in the county with a significant farming activity.
The NRCS office (formerly the Soil and Water Division), in a nutshell, administers federal funds that are headed to farmers, ranchers and landowners participating in a variety of federal programs. The four employees in the office, according to Division Manager Eddie Cooper, are all needed to ensure the programs are properly administered and the funds are distributed.
In the past 10 years,the NRCS has administered $27,092,681 in U.S. Department of Agriculture dollars made available to Escambia County and agriculture producers.
If the commission cuts the four county positions in the office, one federal employee will remain. “But it would be about impossible for one employee to do what we do collectively,” said Jeff Hester, one of the four county employees in the office.
He said the programs all have deadlines that must be met with paperwork and site visits, work that currently consumes the time of every employee in the office.
“It takes more than just one person,” Hester said. “It would sacrifice some of the programs.”
“In the end, it would cost the farmers a lot of money,” Cooper said. “They need the money and the programs to survive.”
At Thursday’s commission meeting, Commissioner Grover Robinson, who remarked that he had been on the Escambia County Farm Tour, said he would support finding a way to keep one employee, but not four. “$250,000 is going to be tough for us to find that number,” he said.
Commissioner Gene Valentino said each commissioner had issues that were important to them, but “the economic impact (of NRCS) is county-wide”.
“This is an economic development tool, if you want to look at what they do for the north end and the farming community,” White said.
White attempted several times during Thursday’s budget meeting to find the $254,000 needed to keep the office staff, including cutting funds from code enforcement. But commissioners were unable to locate the funding in their current budget.
“There is a possibility that some things could change,” Commissioner Marie Young said. “If they do, I would go along with putting those three people back where they were.”
The commission will continue to look for ways to fund the $254,000 before the budget is finalized.
A USDA survey released in February shows that during the five year period 2002-2007, the number of farms in Escambia County increased from 674 to 725. Acreage increased during the same period from 64,581 to 81,977, with most of those acres in North Escambia.
The market value of farm production in Escambia County has doubled in five years, from $15.68 million to $31.95 million, according to the USDA. There are 277 people in Escambia County that consider farming to be their primary occupation.
Pictured above: Wheat being harvest in North Escambia near Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
11 Responses to “County Considers Cutting Farm Services Agency; Farmers May Be The Biggest Losers”
The form of government I am referring to is the federal model. The same one used at the state level (governor) and the federal government (president). While there is no perfect form of government our current form inhibits leadership and provides for zero accountability. Our current form has not prevented corruption. There are mechanisms that exist to deal with corruption. There are no mechanishms in place to deal with apathy. Our community is in horrible shape and will continue to be that way until there is someone with “their fanny on the line” every four years. Until that time, politicians will continue to point their finger somewhere else. If you want change, elect someone that has to run on a platform. Last election this county elected a commissioner based purely on the fact that he claimed he was less nuts (bring back sanity) than the guy he was trying to replace. Not exactly inspirational. Our elected officials should have to develop a platform/agenda, run on that plaform and if elected govern based on that plaform and then every four years be judged on whether or not they accomplished the things they said they would do. That doesn’t exist now. If we want to progress we must give someone the ability to lead and the accountability that goes with that.
You tell ‘ emJD and to Kevin don’t you realize that JD was just being sarcastic, he isn’t in favor o any of this either!
When you talk about the farmers don’t talk with your mouth full.
Do the math !!!!! the comissioners want to cut a progam that cost approximately $250,000 BUT HAS BROUGHT APPROIMATELY $2,700,000, PER YEAR FOR 10 YEARS
DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kevin,
You’re not to bright are you? You obviously do not know sarcasm when you see it. TR and Jack Moran got the satirical content of my comment. You obviously did not. Please re-read my comment, ask someone smarter than you to interpret it and then write an apology! Ding-Dong!!
Are you kidding me?,
– The form of government you speak of with a “head” or County Executive is exactly the form of government that many Parishes in Louisiana have; they call it a Parish President. If you have ever looked at any of these Parishes, you would see a very corrupt and non-functioning form of government that doesn’t work much better than our own. In fact many of these parishes have less and get less done. The problem with our current system is the simple fact that the north and south ends of the county have different visions for the future of the county, thus the commissioners do not see eye to eye. Probably the best result for all would be to split into two counties and let the north end govern it self, good or bad!!
This is too valuable of a service to our farming community to be cut. This just shows that the majority of our county commissioners have no regard for the north end of the county or the value of our farming community. Commissioner Robinson may have rode along on a farm tour, but obviously did not try to learn anything from it.
This money can be ‘located’, and the place to find it is by restructuring ECAT to operate within its budget. I do not understand why our commissioners are so willing to terminate Farm Services, but think it is OK to add more taxes and more financial burden to our citizens to fund ECAT, a money pit that needs restructuring.
JD ARE U AN IDIOT. IF WE OWN ONE OF THE BIGGEST FARMS IN THE NW FLORIDA AREA. AND WHEN. MOLINO TO ATMORE. AN IF WE CLOSE UPA ND SALE THAT TAKES MONEY OUT OF OUR POCKETS, ALSO WHY WOULD WE NE PARKING LOTS IN MOLINO WHEN THE STUFF IS IN DOWNTOWN PCOLA ARE U TRYING TO MAKE THIS CITY HUGE OR WHAT
This is absolutely a result of our current form of government. Which is not working? Many that post on this site claim that the current system of district only commissioners works just fine and no changes are needed. In the past year, the north end of the county have closed schools, the tax collectors office, and are facing significant service cutbacks. Many have villified the EAFO effort for trying to come up with a system that is responsible and accountable to all. An elected CEO/Mayor/County Executive could not ignore 20-25% of the population (north end) and have any hope of being re-elected. Additionally, someone from the north end could be that CEO. Get involved, learn the facts of what consolidation is and is not and help make a better system.
Yes, JD, Yes!! You have the picture right.
“Amen, Amen , Amen, JD”.
The Grand City of Pensacola-Escambia does not need farming, only lots and lots of tourists!!! Up the gas tax, send us your tourists; make parking lots and amusement parks out of all that farmland. O’yea, save a couple of thousand acres up there for our new nuclear power plant , sewer treatment plant and garbage dump that we don’t want down on the south end of our new Grand “All for one” City!!—-We sincerely thank you, the All for One Socialist/Communist Party.
What bunch of narrow minded idiots, has anyone checked the pockets of these other commissioners; someone is obviously sticking a little green in their pockets for supporting all these dumb ideas!!