Source: USDA, 8/12/20 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced new Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees focused exclusively on urban agriculture. County committees have enabled farmer input on the delivery of FSA programs since the 1930s, and these new committees are part of USDA’s efforts to better support urban agriculture.“County committees represent farmers and set priorities at the local level,” Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey said. “Urban and suburban farmers are uniquely qualified to identify the needs of growers and their communities, especially when it comes to making fresh, healthy food accessible.” “I encourage urban growers to nominate candidates to lead, serve, and represent their community on their county committee,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “Diverse representation can ensure that the needs of all farmers, including urban and suburban farmers, are included in local decisions for USDA programs.” The committees are organized through USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, and the first five will be located in: =
Albuquerque, N.M. =
Cleveland, Ohio =
Philadelphia, Pa. =
Portland, Ore. =
Richmond, Va. Five
additional county committees will be announced in the fall. The
urban and suburban county committees will work to encourage and promote urban,
indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices. Additionally, the
new county committees may address areas such as food access, community
engagement, support of local activities to promote and encourage community compost,
and food waste reduction. Committees
will make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered
locally. Their input is vital to how FSA carries out disaster programs, as well
as conservation, commodity and price support programs, county office
employment, and other agricultural issues. Nominations for Urban County Committees FSA
will begin accepting nominations for urban and suburban county committee
members on Sept. 8. Urban farmers who participate or cooperate in an FSA
program in the county selected may either be nominated or may nominate
themselves or others as a candidate. Organizations, including those
representing beginning, women, and minority producers, also may nominate
candidates. To
be considered, a producer must sign an FSA-669A nomination form. The form and
other information about FSA county committee elections are available at fsa.usda.gov/elections or farmers.gov/urban. All nomination forms for
the urban and suburban county committees must be postmarked or received in the
local FSA office by Oct. 2. Election
ballots will be mailed to eligible voters beginning Oct. 23. More Information Nationwide,
more than 7,700 dedicated members serve on FSA county committees. The
committees consist of three to 11 members, who serve three-year terms, and
typically meet once a month. Find
out more by contacting the FSA county office at the local USDA Service Center.
General questions about these FSA county committees can be sent to UrbanAgriculture@usda.gov. A webinar to discuss the work of the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production – including these FSA county committees -- will be held on Aug. 27 at 2:00 Eastern Time. For the link and information on registration, see farmers.gov/urban. The
2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to form the urban county committees as well as
make other advancements related to urban agriculture. The Office of Urban
Agriculture and Innovative Production was established through the 2018 Farm
Bill. It is led by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and works in
partnership with numerous USDA agencies that support urban agriculture. Its
mission is to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging
agricultural practices, including community composting and food waste
reduction. More information is available at farmers.gov/urban. Additional
resources that may be of interest to urban agriculture entities include AMS grants to improve domestic and
international opportunities for U.S. growers and producers and FSA loans.
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