Mini-MIDAS Meeting Listening Session

Mini-MIDAS Meeting Listening Session

Washington DC Officials travel to North Carolina

When: February 25, 2010

Where: Pasquotank-Camden-Currituck Co FSA Office

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

WDC Officials:

Jonathan Coppess –FSA Administrator

Karis Gutter – FSA Deputy Administrator, Field Operations

Kimberly Graham – FSA, Deputy Director, Change Management

Patrick Hanley – MIDAS Project Manager

Charles McClain – USDA, Deputy Chief Information Officer

Toby Osherson – Assistant to the Administrator

Harvinder Singh – MIDAS Project Team-Torres

Chris Smith – USDA Chief Information Officer

Wanda Swann –USDA, CIO-Executive Assistant

STO Officials:

Aaron Martin, SED

Tim Jones, STO Conservation Chief

Area Guests:

Bill Early - Acting DD and CED Hertford & Gates Co,

Ron Garrett – CED Northampton Co

Greg Harris - Northampton Co COC Member

Julie Jones – CED Perquimans & Chowan Co.

Michael Moore, Perquimans Co COC Member

Area Farm Loan Manager:

Kent Sawyer - Perquimans Co

Office Staff, Pasquotank-Camden-Currituck

Denise Gregory, Acting CED

Rosie Hale, PT

Vanessa Moore, Temp PT

Maria Tirado, PT

COC Members and Area Farmers:

Craig Carey, Chairman

Kevin Staples, Vice Chairman

Jan Berry, Member

Joel Ferebee, Member

Steve Harris, Member

Maurice Berry, Pasquotank County producer

Martha Meiggs, Camden County producer

Mel Morgan. Camden & Currituck County producer

The “Mini-MIDAS-meeting” kicked off with a luncheon at Montero’s, a popular restaurant in Elizabeth City. After a wonderful meal and getting acquainted around the dinner table, we were all ready for the afternoon’s official Listening Session. We were honored to be selected and there was a lively discussion of ideas.

“MIDAS” means Modernize and Innovate the Delivery of Agricultural Systems. Over $300 million will be invested in the coming years to upgrade existing technology and streamline our program delivery. USDA/FSA provides services to more than two million farmers and ranchers nationwide and the WDC officials wanted OUR input on how we can improve our business, customer service, communications and information technology capabilities. WDC wants to know what we want to make our jobs work most efficiently.

We received information that MIDAS is not tied to the Farm Bill, the money is available and they want to know what we want and the best functions to administer the programs and make our jobs easier. MIDAS has been on the back burner since 2008 and we’ve needed this upgrade for a long time. It seems hard to believe that we have been using some of the same computers that first arrived in the county offices in 1982. How much longer can they function? MIDAS is not about closing county offices, it’s about making it more functional.

The officials from WDC wanted to know what was causing us “Pain” in the County Offices. The “Pain Points” ranged from needed query reports for web data to complications with the payments and paperwork issued from KCMO. We discussed RMA/FSA crop report deadlines being different, redundant paperwork and sharing data. We want our deadlines to be the same and it would be more farmer-friendly. We heard thatmore complete CIMS (Comprehensive Information Management System)access is coming soon and that RMA & FSA can share the same electronic information that involves farming data. Currently this site does not provide a lot of comprehensive information.

The ‘Pain” of the SURE Program was discussed as well as the starting and sudden stopping of the BCAP Program and the new IRS forms. We would like a more simplified Mail Merge from the AS-400 and the Web, not so many passwords and easier access to the data we need to work effectively. Are we going to work with full social security numbers or 4 digits? We cannot access records in the web to get the information and we are still dependent on the AS-400 to retrieve the full social security number.

Some of the farmers mentioned they would like to be able to access maps and do their crop reports on the web, but they still like the “one on one” with the county staff. Could we change the name of the FSA-211, Power-of-Attorney form? Remember we need farmers as much as they need us.

We would like better communication and accurate information, more simple procedure and easier to read handbooks, less paperwork, have the program procedures right the first time without so many changes and we want follow-up.

It was an interesting and helpful discussion and we were glad they came – the lines of communication were definitely flowing in both directions. We sent them on to their next meeting loaded down with NC Peanuts, cookies, cake and wishes for safe travel and thanks for coming. We only wish they could have stayed longer.

After the meeting adjourned, Aaron Martin, SED complimented the CED, staff and area farmers of the Pasquotank-Camden-Currituck combined office. He stated “I was very much impressed with how well the staff in Pasquotank put the meeting together. The FSA staff did impress the Administrator and his deputy officials with their knowledge of how the programs work and offered insight on how to make improvements. I was also impressed with how well versed the local farmers were in their understanding of the importance of modern technology in relation to agriculture.”

By Rosie Hale, PT Pasquotank-Camden-Currituck Co, NC