COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Farm Bureau is concerned about how a new plan to consolidate mail delivery will affect rural Americans.

The U.S. Postal Service has introduced a new proposal to combine morning and afternoon drop-off and pickup into a single route for zip codes that are more than 50 miles from the nearest regional processing and distribution center. USPS He wrote in an August newsletter: He said the measure would reduce costs by $3 billion annually.

One Email sent to postmaster on November 13The Missouri Farm Bureau has expressed concern about the plan.

“Rural Americans rely on fast, reliable mail service for many reasons, including receiving letters from loved ones, critical medications, time-sensitive documents and bills, and even Social Security payments. We believe that these taxpayer-funded services should serve rural and urban areas equally to the maximum extent possible. Further restricting access to services in rural areas does not achieve this goal,” wrote Garrett Hawkins, director of the Farm Bureau.

President of MOFB @JGarrettHawkins sent a letter @USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy this morning addresses Missourians’ concerns about rural service. The letter was also shared with Missouri’s Congressional delegation.#MOFarmBureau | #MOag | #lawyer pic.twitter.com/FyGZ3xRx4J

— Missouri Farm Bureau (@MOFarmBureau) November 13, 2024

Hawkins also took issue with what he called “already slow delivery times” for rural Missourians.

“According to studies cited by USPS Director of Corporate Performance Reporting and Analytics Arslan Saleem in his testimony to Congress, approximately 68% of single-piece first-class mail volume will experience downgrades in rural areas,” Hawkins wrote.

Farm Bureau isn’t the only one heaping criticism on USPS. In February, Senator Josh Hawley He cited concerns about inconsistent postal service in Kansas City. Hawley reiterated concerns Thursday on his social media. This comes two years after Northland called for an audit of its postal service after Kansas City residents experienced problems receiving their mail.

ABC 17 News spoke with several Columbia residents Thursday to see if they were experiencing any of the same issues. Overall, the vast majority of people said they didn’t have much trouble with the post office.

Columbia resident Mara Aruguette said she hasn’t had any issues with delays when using the U.S. Postal Service.

“It’s definitely a really positive experience,” Aruguette said. “I hope those who live here won’t experience delays. But maybe because I live in the city, I haven’t had any problems.”

Barry Walker five years ago in St. He moved from St. Louis to Columbia. The only problem he had in both cities was that the post office was in St. He said it was because he kept sending packages to his old address in St. Louis. But like Aruguette, he experienced none of the postal woes that other rural Missourians experienced.

“The people here (Columbia Post Office) are really friendly, they have a good sense of humor, and I’ve found their service to be efficient,” Walker said.

Check back for updates.