The Farm Service Agency will begin accepting nominations for local county committees on June 15. The nomination period — which runs through Aug. 1 — allows farmers and ranchers to nominate themselves or others as candidates to sit on the local county committee and help make important agricultural decisions.
In a news release issued today, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack urged all farmers and ranchers, especially minority and women producers, to take part in this year's county committee elections by nominating candidates.
He said county committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and give landowners, farmers and ranchers a better chance of having their opinions and ideas heard. If county committees are to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, minority and women farmers must take time to get involved by nominating themselves or a candidate they feel will represent their interests.
Nominees must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be qualified to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the nominee is a candidate in order to be eligible to serve on the county committee.
Committee members serve three-year terms and help make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. There are currently 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees throughout the country.
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