The Department of Agriculture will soon reopen all Farm Service Agency offices in California and nationwide.
USDA has temporarily recalled all of the more than 9,700 FSA employees to keep offices open from 8 am to 4:30 pm weekdays beginning January 24th.
However, operations will be reduced to just three days a week next starting February 8th.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the plan as an effort to provide additional administrative services to farmers and ranchers during the lapse in federal funding.
Select FSA offices were previously opened for a three-day period offering limited services to farmers.
The list of services offered during the period includes the Market Facilitation Program, Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, and the Dairy Margin Protection Program, among others.
Additionally, Secretary Perdue announced that the deadline to apply for the Market Facilitation Program, which aids farmers harmed by unjustified retaliatory tariffs, has been extended to February 14th.
The original deadline had been January 15th.
