Fordyce: We Learned A Lot From The Pandemic

When the coronavirus pandemic started to spread across the country back in March, the USDA's local service service centers had to adjust, moving to maximum telework status. But according to Farm Service Agency Administrator Richard Fordyce, the agency's was really not equipped for the transition. He said his agency and others began to scramble around to find laptops and other remote equipment for office employees. And for some of the more remote locations across the country, there were additional challenges.

"[We had to] locate personal hot spots for them and really got back up to full capacity or as near as we could get to very quickly."

But, Fordyce said, there was a silver lining or two from the pandemic.

"It really has allowed us to step up our game as it relates to differently ways to work with producers."

And according to USDA Undersecretary Bill Northey, during that tumultuous adjustment time, "we delivered some ad hock programs whether it's MFP especially CFAP very quickly while Coronavirus was still happening."

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