Source: USDA, 11/3/21 The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin mailing ballots this week for
the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county and urban county committee elections to
all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country.
Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas
(LAA) for these committee members who make important decisions about
how federal farm programs are administered locally. To be
counted, producers and landowners must return ballots to their local
FSA county office or be postmarked by Dec. 6, 2021. “Now is your opportunity to elect fellow farmers and ranchers in your community to serve on the local county committee,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “These committees are a critical piece to the work we do by providing knowledge and judgment as decisions are made about the services we provide. Your voice and vote matters.” 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 but may not have applied or received FSA program benefits. Also, for County Committee elections, producers who are not of legal voting age, but supervise and conduct the farming operations of an entire farm, are eligible to vote. Producers can find out if their LAA is up
for election and if they are eligible to vote by contacting their local FSA
county office. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can
request one from their local FSA county office. To find your local USDA
Service Center, visit farmers.gov/service-locator. Visit fsa.usda.gov/elections for more information. About
Committees Each committee has from three to 11 elected
members who serve three-year terms of office, and at least
one seat representing an LAA is up for election each year. Newly
elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2022. Urban
and Suburban County Committees Ballots to elect urban committee
members were sent beginning Nov. 1, 2021. These
elections will serve local urban producers in the same
jurisdiction. A fact sheet on the urban county committee
election and a list of eligible cities can be found at fsa.usda.gov/elections. The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to form
urban county committees as well as make other advancements related to urban
agriculture, including the establishment of the Office of Urban Agriculture and
Innovative Production. Urban county committees will work to encourage and
promote urban, indoor and other emerging agricultural production practices.
Committee members will provide outreach to ensure urban producers
understand USDA programs and serve as the voice of other urban producers.
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. Learn more at farmers.gov/urban.
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