2020 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections Underway
Ballots Have Been Mailed to Eligible Voters
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.
