REMINDER TO VOTE BY FRIDAY JAN. 17TH

Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections: Vote by January 17 Deadline

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director, Val Dolcini, is reminding farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers that the deadline to return completed ballots for the Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections is this Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. Eligible voters who have not received a ballot can obtain one from their local USDA Service Center. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Jan. 17.

To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program. A person who is not of legal voting age, but supervises and conducts the farming operations of an entire farm may also be eligible to vote. Agricultural producers in each county submitted candidate nominations during the nomination period, which ended on Aug. 1.

County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.

Close to 7,700 FSA county committee members serve in the 2,124 FSA offices nationwide. Each committee consists of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. Approximately one-third of county committee seats are up for election each year. More information on county committees, such as the 2013 fact sheet and brochures, can be found on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections or at a local USDA Service Center.

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