An open house is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. May 4 at the new USDA Service Center along Route 68 on the Butler Farm Show grounds. Everyone is invited to stop by and see the new service center.

The Butler USDA service Center is home to three USDA agencies and employs 20 staff members. Local and state level agency representatives will be available to discuss specific agency roles in the community.

The three USDA agencies housed at the new service center are:

Farm Service Agency - Administers federal farm programs such as conservation, price support, disaster, farm and operating loans for Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties.

Rural Development - Offers financial program support for essential public facilities and services like water and sewer systems, housing, health clinics, emergency service facilities and electric and telephone service. It promotes economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks and community-managed lending pools. It also offers technical assistance and information to help agricultural and other cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their member services. Finally, it provides technical assistance to help communities undertake community empowerment programs.

Natural Resources Conservation Service - Provides technical services related to natural resources for landowners and municipalities. It also administers Grazing Reserve and Environmental Quality Incentive programs.

In addition to state level agency representatives, several of our elected officials are expected to be on hand, along with representatives from many cooperating agencies.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 1:30 p.m., with a few remarks from Congressman Phil English's representative Betty Cordray of the 3rd Congressional District; Byron Ross, RD state director; Richard Pallman, FSA state executive director and Scott Rennie, NRCS district conservationist.