Farm Service Agency seeking nominations for farmers and ranchers to serve on local county committees

Nominations Open for USDA Farm Service Agency County Committees

Introduction

Nominations are now being accepted for farmers and ranchers to serve on local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2024 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 1, 2024.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Serving on a Farm Service Agency county committee is your chance to ensure that other producers who share your interests, your production practices, and your perspective are represented. County committee service is a unique opportunity in the federal government for citizen stakeholders to participate in the implementation of policy and programs at the local level. Nominations are now open, and elections will begin in November; don’t miss this chance to help FSA serve all producers.

Elections and Local Administrative Areas (LAA)

Elections for committee members will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA). LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction and may include LAAs that are focused on an urban or suburban area.

Customers can locate their LAA through a geographic information system locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections and determine if their LAA is up for election by contacting their local FSA office.

Eligibility Criteria

• Participate or cooperate in a USDA program.
• Reside in the LAA that is up for election this year.

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.

Inclusivity and Representation

Individuals may nominate themselves or others, and qualifying organizations may also nominate candidates. USDA encourages minority, women, urban, and beginning farmers or ranchers to nominate, vote, and hold office.

Importance of County Committees

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. The committees are made up of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. 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.

Urban and Suburban County Committees

The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to form urban county committees and 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 urban agriculture that work to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices. Additionally, the county committees may address 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. Urban county committee members provide outreach to ensure urban producers understand USDA programs, serve as the voice of other urban producers, and assist in program implementation that supports 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.

How to Get Involved

Producers should contact their local FSA office today to register and find out how to get involved in their county’s election, including if their LAA is up for election this year. To be considered, a producer must be registered and sign an FSA-669A nomination form. This form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

All nomination forms for the 2024 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by the Aug.1, 2024, deadline. Election ballots will be mailed to eligible voters in November 2024.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
• SDG 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.
• SDG 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
• SDG 11.a: Support positive economic, social, and environmental links between urban, peri-urban, and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.
• SDG 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Number of farmers and ranchers nominated and elected to serve on local USDA Farm Service Agency county committees.
• Representation of women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers in the elected committee members.
• Number of urban county committees established and their efforts in promoting urban agriculture, food access, community engagement, and reduction of food waste.
• Number of registered producers and their involvement in county committee elections.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: beefmagazine.com