Source: USDA, 11/9/20 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mailed ballots for the
Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to eligible farmers and
ranchers across the country. To be counted, ballots must be returned to the
local FSA county office or postmarked by December 7. “FSA has over 7,000 county committee members nationwide who serve their communities by providing input on our programs at the local level,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “We value their knowledge and judgment as decisions are made about the services we provide, including disaster and safety-net programs.” Each
committee has three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office,
and at least one seat is up for election each year. Newly elected committee
members will take office January 1, 2021. County committee members help FSA
make important decisions on its commodity support programs, conservation
programs, indemnity and disaster programs, and emergency programs and
eligibility. Producers
must participate or cooperate in an FSA program to be eligible to vote in the
county committee election. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided
information about their farming or ranching operation(s) but may not have
applied or received FSA program benefits. Also, producers who supervise and
conduct the farming operations of an entire farm, but are not of legal voting
age, may be eligible to vote. Producers
can find out if their local administrative area is up for election and if they
are eligible to vote by contacting their local FSA county office. Eligible
voters who did not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from their
local FSA county office. Visit fsa.usda.gov/elections for more
information. All
USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to
visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center
visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation
Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an
appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors
based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social
distancing guidelines. Visitors are also required to wear a face covering
during their appointment. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and
they will be working with our producers in the office, by phone and using
online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
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