Return ballots by December 2

Washington – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mailed ballots last week for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country.

Elections  are  occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these committee members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. Producers and landowners must return ballots to their local FSA county office or have their ballots postmarked by Dec. 2, 2024, for those ballots to be counted.     

“Voting in the county committee elections ensures that the voices of local farmers and ranchers are heard in shaping policies that directly impact their livelihoods,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “By participating, you help guide decisions on critical programs like disaster assistance, conservation and other critical financial and technical support programs, making sure that the needs of your community are represented.”   

Producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and reside in the LAA that is up for election this year 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 to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits. Additionally, producers who are not of legal voting age, but supervise and conduct farming operations for an entire farm, are eligible to vote in these elections.     

For purposes of FSA county committee elections, every member of an American Indian tribe is considered an agricultural landowner if the land on which the tribal member’s voting eligibility is based is tribally owned or held in trust by the U.S. for the tribe, even if the individual does not personally produce a commodity on that land. Tribal agricultural landowners 18 years and older can contact their local FSA county office to register to vote.  

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. Each committee has from three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms, and at least one seat representing a LAA up for election each year. Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster recovery, conservation, commodity and price support programs, as well as making decisions on county office employment and other agricultural issues. They help ensure inclusive representation on committees and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their jurisdiction. 

Ballots must be postmarked or delivered in person to the local FSA office by close of business Dec. 2, 2024, to be counted. Newly elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2025. Producers can identify LAAs up for election through a geographic information system locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections and may confirm their LAA by contacting their local FSA office. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from their local FSA county office. 

Urban County Committees     

Urban county committees have been established in 27 cities to strengthen administration of FSA programs in urban areas. Urban committee members are nominated and elected to serve by local urban producers in the same jurisdiction. Committee members will provide outreach to ensure urban producers understand USDA programs, serve as the voice of other urban producers and assist in program implementation that support the needs of the growing urban community.   

The 27 cities with urban county committees are listed at fsa.usda.gov/elections and farmers.gov/urban. Of these, ten urban county committees will hold an inaugural election this cycle.   

More Information     

Visit fsa.usda.gov/elections for more information on county committee elections.     

To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center or their Urban Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. Producers who don’t have an account can sign up today.   

FSA helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under 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 safe, 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 usda.gov.