FSA Features Technology and Finance at the World Ag Expo

By: Paul Lehman

How can farmers work smarter and stretch a dollar? FSA staff answered these questions and more during FSA’s exhibit at the 42nd Annual World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif.

From February 10 -12, 2009, more than 100,000 visitors roamed 100 acres and 2.6 million square feet of exhibits to kick tractor tires and test bailers. They also started ag loans, collected disaster assistance eligibility details and gathered information on applicable FSA programs.

Thousands of people stopped in at the Farm Service Agency booth. Many of the visitors took FSA’s new online tools for a test drive. State and county office staff members attracted visitors by demonstrating the time-saving Global Information Systems (GIS) capabilities, eGov account management and application options, and FSA’s Internet information resources. “Producers like to drop by and find out what’s new at FSA,” according to Ken Odgen, GIS Specialist for California and Nevada. “We were constantly impressed with both young and older growers who want to learn more.”

As a reflection of the prevailing economic conditions, the most frequently asked question was, “How do I get a Farm Loan?” The three-year drought in the western United States has also added to the financial concerns for producers. Water for farms located out west is usually delivered via contracted irrigation district canals or it’s extracted from the earth by producers’ own pumps at significant cost. In response to the immense regional interest in irrigation methods, the World Ag Expo devotes an entire pavilion to hydro technology and services.

A cross-section of FSA staff experts were kept on their feet as they handled a variety of producer questions on new Farm Bill provisions. The prime focus was on drought disaster assistance eligibility, the MILC Program, and the new Direct and Counter-cyclical Program option – ACRE.

As the show’s name implies, attendees of the World Ag Expo come from all over the globe. FSA staff spoke to visitors from Germany, Japan and the Ukraine, as well as growers from across the United States. Volunteers from five FSA county offices worked at the three day event. In addition to GIS Specialist Odgen, the California eGov /Website Coordinator and Program Specialist, Jennifer Bigelow, also staffed the booth. Additional volunteers included program staff and farm loan staff from: Kern County – Donald McKinney, and Elsa Mora; Fresno County – Russ Friend, Darrin Monteiro, Bee Payne, Darci Cullers and Deanna Martin; Kings County – Lance Carter and Nathan Olson; Madera County – LaVon Treasure, Chantal Haun, Debbie Cook and Nancy Tally; and Tulare County – Kaye Rydberg and Bob Pearson.

If you want to take a virtual tour of the “Biggest Annual Agricultural Exposition in the World”, drop in at www.worldagexpo.com . Be sure to check out the interactive map and visit the USDA Farm Services Agency booth in Pavilion A, number 1505. By the way, if you’re from the Midwest, bring some rain.

FSA team members in California (left to right) Ken Ogden, Bee Payne and Lavon Treasure are just three of the 17 staff who worked the crowd to share program and loan information, and to demonstrate FSA’s computer-based tech tools.