A Hawaii USDA office will be closed as part of an effort to cut costs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will close the rural development office on the Big Island, along with 258 other offices, labs and facilities nationwide.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who is in Hawaii for a convention, says big island residents will not see a significant impact in services.
"The whole point of this is to avoid disruption of services to folks that are producers, ranchers, and farmers throughout the country. Hawaii is no different than the mainland," says Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
The USDA is cutting $150 million a year from its $145 billion budget.
