Officials at the USDA say closing 131 field offices across the country will reduce costs and improve efficiency, but many farmers believe the negative impact will outweigh the benefits. YNN's Matt Hunter reports.

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SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. -– When it comes time to file his annual report – or any other business that needs tending to – farmer John Weber says the staff at the USDA's Farm Service Agency office in Ballston Spa always make his job easier.

"We call and say and we need some paperwork, they have it ready when we get there," said Weber, who runs his family’s fourth generation farm in Northumberland.

Weber is one of more than 600 farmers in Saratoga County who rely on the FSA office, which is why he was less than thrilled to learn last month that it's one of 131 across the country that federal officials plan to shut down.

"We all know everybody needs to downsize today, but you downsize from the top, you don't downsize from the small end," Weber said.

The Ballston Spa office is one of four FSA offices and seven USDA offices overall in New York State that USDA officials propose closing.

The other FSA offices are in Voorheesville, Liberty, and Penn Yann.

By consolidating the Saratoga County office with the Washington County office in Greenwich, officials say the agency would save roughly $17,000 a year: necessary cutbacks after $78 million in budget cuts over the last two years.

"It comes back to the budget,” said Jim Barber, the FSA’s executive director for New York State. “We need to work within the budget we're given and this unfortunately is one of the steps we found needs to occur."

Many elected officials, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, are urging the USDA to keep the offices open. In a letter dated last month, Gillibrand said, following Hurricane Irene:

"The rebuilding of farms cannot and will not be done without the support provided by local USDA offices."

That sentiment was echoed by more than 70 local farmers who spoke out at a public meeting hosted by the FSA in Ballston Spa on Tuesday.

"I have about an hour and a half to get away from the farm every day and to have to drive to Greenwich for part of it and down to Ballston for another is going to tie up two days instead of being able to come to Ballston and do it all in one stop," Saratoga County Farm Bureau President John Arnold said.

The comments gathered at Tuesday's meeting will be sent to USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where a final decision is expected after 90 days.

"They government is not thinking,” said Weber, who attended the meeting. “Especially over $17,410. Come on, what are they thinking?"