(Lebanon) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is shuttering several facilities in the midstate. The move is raising concerns the cost of doing business will go up for farmers. The department is looking to close its Lebanon, Perry and Mifflin county Farm Service Agency offices and four smiliar facilities across the state. Lebanon County Farm Service Agency Director Julie Holland says her office was among the top 10 in the state for dollars granted to farmers in 2009 and 2010. She says if her office closes, her clients will likely have to got to Lancaster for things like filing crop reports. "Well, the people that I've heard from are not very happy about it. Nobody wants to drive further to do the things that they need to do on a daily basis. We've got some people that are in here two or three times a week. For them to drive to Park City two or three times a week is not realistic," Holland says. She says public meetings will be held on the future of the office, and the USDA should make a final decision in 90 days. The federal agency also plans to shutter a Rural Development office in Juniata County, and an office in Harrisburg that oversees foodstamps and school lunch programs. The USDA is reducing its number of offices nationwide by more than 250.










