CENTERVILLE —
On Friday, Aug. 31, Dan Clark of Centerville will clock in for the last time.
Clark, 61, has been the county executive director at the Appanoose County Farm Service Agency office in Centerville for almost 27 years.
Come to FSA office Thursday, Aug. 30 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. to wish Dan good luck in his retirement during an open house.
Clark during an hour-long interview Friday, Aug. 24, talked about the need for a long-term farm bill, his hobby farm, life after retirement, the imminent closing of the Appanoose County FSA office in Centerville and how he became the FSA county executive director.
Clark admitted if it were not for the fact USDA is closing the Appanoose County FSA office Sept. 28, he would still be coming to work. Clark was offered a position in two different counties but chose retirement over working outside Appanoose County.
"I didn't want to go somewhere else," Clark said. "A year or two would be the most I would have worked. So I'm just retiring."
Clark talked about Appanoose County and called Centerville a "hub" in southern Iowa and northern Missouri and it will not have an FSA office.
"So we're going to have all the services here except an FSA office," Clark said. "It's sad. It really is. I mean they did not look at it in Washington correctly. And that's what we've been arguing since January."
The Appanoose County FSA office is one of three the USDA is closing in Iowa. The other two are in Decatur and Union counties.
The Appanoose County FSA office is going to be consolidated with the FSA office in Albia in Monroe County.
Clark said the Appanoose County FSA office has approximately 1,400 farms that participate in programs out of a total of 2,100 farms in the county. After Sept. 28 those 1,400 farms are expected to go to other FSA offices: approximately 200 each to Davis and Wayne County, approximately 100 to Unionville, Mo. and approximately 1,000 to Monroe County.
After Sept. 28, Carla Dye, Appanoose County FSA program technician, will relocate to the FSA office in Albia in Monroe County.
Conditions this year were much like they were in 1983 — drought — when Clark realized he needed more than just farming to make ends meet and decided to go and find a job.
"Times were tough," Clark said, trying to feed the family from just what his "hobby farm" was producing. "We had three kids at home. We were getting tired of eating peanut and jelly sandwiches."
After a short stint in Des Moines and 18 months in Wayne County, Clark was named Appanoose County FSA county executive director on Sept. 1, 1985 after the then director, Doyle Hampton, retired.
The FSA county executive director is responsible to administer Farm Bill programs for producers in the county where they work. Major programs include direct and counter cyclical — geared more towards corn, soybeans, wheat and oats — and livestock disaster, something sorely needed right now.
"Which, unfortunately, right now, we don't have (a livestock disaster program) because there is no Farm Bill," Clark said. "We're in the middle of a disaster."
Clark said the federal government is working under the 2008 Farm Bill and as written they left off "the 2012 disaster programs, which included the livestock emergency feed and livestock indemety programs because they didn't have enough money to fund it."
Clark said the idea in Washington was as the year 2012 approached, they would have the Farm Bill written and approved.
The United States House of Representatives passed a $383 million disaster relief package to assist farmers, producers and others on Aug. 2. The Senate has not voted on the legislation.
Clark farms 225 acres southeast of Centerville near the Armory on Dewey Road. He has 85 acres in Conservation Reserve Program, row crops 100 acres and the rest is taken up with buildings and pond.
Beside CRP, Clark participates in direct and counter-cylical program and Conservation Stewardship program through NRCS.
Life for Clark and his wife Jean after his retirement includes taking care of his "hobby farm" and traveling. They have a son who lives in Ogden, Utah, a son who lives in Atlanta and a daughter who lives in Savanagh, Ga.
Jean five years ago retired as an Appanoose County magistrate.
Southeast Iowa
Related Photos
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Dan Clark, 61, Friday, Aug. 24 outside the office he has been coming to for almost 27 years. Clark's last day on the job is Friday, Aug. 31. Photo by Michael Schaffer
August 29, 2012
Centerville FSA director retires as office closes
Appanoose County will lose its Farm Service Agency office Sept. 28
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