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Nominations for USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees are now being accepted. The last day to file nomination forms is Aug. 1, 2005.
Farmers who serve on county committees help ensure FSA agricultural programs adequately serve the needs of local producers. Committees make decisions on county commodity price-support loan eligibility, establishment of allotments and yields, conservation programs, disaster programs, employment and other issues.
To be an eligible candidate, a person must participate or cooperate in an FSA program, be of legal voting age and live in the county or area where the election is being held. USDA will again be implementing an extensive outreach program to encourage greater participation of minority and women producers in the county committee election process.
Individuals may nominate themselves or others as candidates. In addition, eligible candidates can be nominated by community-based organizations, especially groups representing socially disadvantaged (SDA) farmers or ranchers, before the close of the nomination period. Nominations and elections are open to all eligible candidates and voters without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status or disability. FSA is committed to promoting diversity on its local county committees so all producers, including minority, female and other under-represented people, have a say in how the Agency's programs are administered locally.
The guidelines, required by the 2002 Farm Bill, govern the FSA county committee election process and are designed to increase participation by minorities and women. To read the guidelines in their entirety, visit: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/elections/
Among the key guidelines that are now in effect:
•If no valid nominations are filed, the Secretary of Agriculture may nominate up to two individuals to be placed on the ballot.
•County committees must annually review the local administrative area (LAA) boundaries to ensure the fair representation of SDA producers in their county or multi-county area.
•FSA county offices shall actively locate and recruit eligible candidates identified as SDA farmers and ranchers as potential nominees for the county committee elections using any reasonable means necessary, including the development of partnerships with community-based organizations.
Producers should keep in mind several important dates regarding the 2005 county committee elections. Producers can request, fill out and submit nomination forms from June 15 to Aug. 1, 2005. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters by Nov. 4, 2005. The deadline to return ballots is Dec. 5, 2005.
For more information about FSA county committees, visit a local USDA Service Centers or go online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/elections.
