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FSA to hold county committee election workshop
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The Farm Service Agency office in Sylvania, working with USDA FSA customers in Effingham County, will hold a committee election procedure workshop, focused on reaching interested individuals within Effingham County. This workshop will be held July 24 at 9 a.m. in the FSA office at the Screven County Courthouse, 216 Mims Road, Room 113, Sylvania.


The nomination period for local FSA county committees will end Aug. 1. County committees are a vital link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provide an opportunity to farmers and ranchers for their opinions and ideas to be heard.


FSA has been seeing an increase in the number of nominations of women and minority candidates and the goal is for this to continue.


To be eligible  to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.


Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others, and organizations representing minoritties and women also may nominate candidates.


To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign the nomination form, FSA-669A.  The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available online at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections.


Nomination forms for the 2013 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center Office by close of business on Aug. 1. Elections will take place this fall.


While FSA county committees do not approve or deny farm ownership or operating loans, they make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Members serve three-year terms.


Nationwide, there are about 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members that are elected by eligible producers.