Farm Services Agency seeks County Committe nominees

Farm Service Agency Now Accepting Nominations for County Committee
Members
RICHMOND, VA, June 17, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service
Agency (FSA) began accepting nominations for county committee members on June 15. Elections will
occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these members who make important decisions
about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2021 election
must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 2, 2021.
“We need enthusiastic, diverse leaders to serve other agricultural producers locally on FSA County
Committees,” said R. Kevin Bohon, Acting State Executive Director for FSA in Virginia. “Now’s your
time to step up and truly make an impact on how federal programs are administered at the local level to
reach all producers fairly and equitably.”
R. Kevin Bohon said agricultural producers who participate or cooperate in a USDA program, and
reside in the LAA that is up for election this year, may be nominated for candidacy for the county
committee. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or
ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits. Individuals may
nominate themselves or others and qualifying organizations may also nominate candidates. USDA
encourages minority producers, women and beginning farmers or ranchers to nominate, vote, and hold
office.
Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serving on FSA county
committees. The committees are made up of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. Producers
serving on FSA county committees play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of the agency.
Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster programs, as well as conservation,
commodity and price support programs, county office employment and other agricultural issues.
LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction. This may
include LAAs that are focused on an urban or suburban area.
Urban and Suburban County Committees
The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to form urban county committees as well as make other
advancements related to urban agriculture, including the establishment of the Office of Urban
Agriculture and Innovative Production. FSA established county committees specifically focused on
1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 138
Richmond, VA 23229
Contact: Diane Lenoir-Giles
diane.lenoir-giles@usda.gov
804-287-1537
Farm Service Agencyurban agriculture. The urban county committees will work to encourage and promote urban, indoor and
other emerging agricultural production practices. Additionally, the new county committees may address
areas such as food access, community engagement, support of local activities to promote and encourage
community compost and food waste reduction.
Urban committee members are nominated and elected to serve by local urban producers in the same
jurisdiction. These members are a vital link in the effective administration of USDA programs and are
responsible for carrying out programs in full accordance with the regulations, national and state policies,
procedures, and instructions. Urban county committee members will provide outreach to ensure urban
producers understand USDA programs and serve as the voice of other urban producers and assist in
program implementation that support the needs of the growing urban community. Urban county
committees must see that county office operations are supportive and that they receive timely and
quality service by carrying out responsibilities effectively, efficiently, and impartially. Learn more at
farmers.gov/urban.
More Information
Producers should contact their local FSA office today to register and find out how to get involved in
their county’s election. They should check with their local USDA Service Center to see if their LAA is
up for election this year. To be considered, a producer must be registered and sign an FSA669A nomination form or an FSA-669-A-3 for urban county committees. The form and other
information about FSA county committee elections are available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.
Election ballots will be mailed to eligible voters beginning Nov. 1, 2021. To find your local USDA
Service Center, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris
Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient
local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and
nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and
producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure
and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by
removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more,
visit www.usda.gov.
–Submitted by Jean Hazelgrove, FSA