Agricultural News
FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce Proud of How They Have Helped Farmers During This Challenging Year
Wed, 02 Dec 2020 08:30:04 CST
At the end of the day Richard Fordyce, administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency, can look back on 2020 and be proud of how his staff has responded to the difficult challenges wrought by the pandemic.
Fordyce was recently interviewed by Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Associate Farm Director and Editor KC Sheperd.
The fact that we sent all of our folks home to work remotely when we have always been a face-to-face interaction business, really stands out, Fordyce said.
Folks were always available to meet farmers' needs, he said.
Administration and implementation of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) presented a big challenge but Fordyce said he is proud of how USDA has met that challenge.
Sign up for the second round of CFAP ends Dec. 11 and just about every farmer is growing something that is eligible, he said.
For assistance with CFAP enrollment, Fordyce encouraged farmers to go to their website.
Click here for that website.
The FSA Administrator said how his team responded so well to the challenge will always be a memory for him.
The ability for them (USDA staff) to continue to deliver programs and serve the farmers has been tremendous he said.
Over 616,000 farmers have been approved for over $10 billion worth of aid and all of this has to go through a local FSA office, he said.
I can't say enough for the work our people have done in less than ideal situation, he said.
Fordyce credits Sec. Perdue for his leadership and successfully meeting the challenges.
FSA worked with other agencies and to me that is good, efficient government, he said.
This is a powerhouse of really smart people doing great things for agriculture, Fordyce said.
Looking ahead to 2021 we will be finishing applications for CFAP2 and we are anticipating a large CRP sign up which starts Jan. 4 and continues until Feb. 12. Also, ARC/PLC sign up continues through March 15, Fordyce said.
We can't predict what might be the next challenge for agriculture, but I do think USDA has the expertise and flexibility to respond to whatever happens, he added.
Fordyce said folks are looking forward to 2021 as farmers are generally optimistic.
Click on the listen bar below to hear more of KC's interview with Richard Fordyce.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
