The U.S. Department of Agriculture is mailing ballots this week for the Farm Service Agency county committee elections. Committee members make decisions on how federal farm programs are administered locally.
Elections are happening in certain Local Administrative Areas. Producers and landowners must return ballots to their local FSA county office or have their ballots postmarked by Dec. 4 for the ballot to count.
“Voting in these elections is your opportunity to help ensure our county committees reflect the diversity of the communities they serve,” says FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “If you receive a ballot in the mail, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to cast your vote, drop it in the mail or return it to your local office. Your voice and vote matter.”
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 to FSA.
Each committee has from three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms. At least one seat representing a Local Administrative Area is up for election each year. Committee members help ensure inclusive representation on committees and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their jurisdiction.
Over the past year, FSA has worked to reimagine county committees to be more diverse and more representative of the communities they serve. Some efforts include the Secretarial appointment of 93 minority members to committees lacking adequate representation and the digitization of maps for producers to easily identify their Local Administrative Area.
Find this tool and learn more about the elections: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-room/county-committee-elections/index
