U.S. Government Accountability Office U.S. Department of Agriculture, workforce decisions could benefit from better linkage to missions and use of leading practices : report to the ... Nutrition, and Forestry, U.S. Senate. - Online indir

"FSA, NRCS, and RD, USDA’s service center agencies, interact directly with agricultural producers and rural communities through extensive field office structures. Achieving their missions depends in part on sustaining workforces with the necessary knowledge and skills. In fiscal year 2012, FSA, NRCS, and RD closed field offices and offered buyout and early retirement incentives to employees. GAO was asked to review aspects of USDA’s human capital management.This report examines: (1) how the workforces of USDA’s service center agencies changed from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2012, (2) the extent to which USDA’s policy on supervisory ratios aligned with OPM guidance in fiscal year 2012, and (3) the extent to which USDA’s service center agencies followed leading practices when closing offices and reducing staff in fiscal year 2012. GAO analyzed workforce data from OPM and USDA, reviewed documents, interviewed relevant officials, and compared leading practices with the actions agencies took to close offices and reduce staff in fiscal year 2012."