How many farmers receive government assistance in Bell County, Kentucky? Secretary of Agriculture Edward Madigan said 2,127 were on the rolls in one federal agency. That didn't seem possible to Sen. Richard Lugar (R, Ind.), ranking minority member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. After all, 85 percent of the county is forest. Lugar, perplexed by the count, then received a USDA printout showing 1,217 farmers, along with an explanation that the first number was a mistake. When he asked for more details, the USDA provided another list—this one containing 57 names.

When asked by Senator Lugar how many field offices the USDA had, Assistant Secretary Richard Albertson replied, "We have tried to get a straight answer to this question for as long as I have been here. Our staff still cannot give us an accurate number."

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