SHOSHONE, ID (KMVT) Federal budget cutbacks continue to trickle down to state agencies in Idaho.

At a Farm Bureau convention earlier this year, the US Secretary of Agriculture announced that the Farm Service Agency would close more than 130 of its 2,000 plus offices nationwide. FSA is proposing to close the Shoshone office, and consolidate it with the office in Gooding.

Dick Rush, State Executive Director of the Idaho Farm Service Agency, says, "The nice thing about it, even though there's no question it's going to be inconvenient. But because a farmer can choose which office they want to go to, we hope that'll make it at least a little more palatable."

Rush says the proposal would close four of the 33 offices in Idaho. He says nobody would lose their jobs as a result of the closure, since ten percent of the Idaho FSA staff has been cut back recently. Rush says there aren't enough employees to keep all of the state offices open.

You can still comment on the proposed closure for the next ten days. E-mail your comments to richard.rush@id.usda.gov .

Feb. 3, 2012.