Upcoming COC nomination and election
Thomas Jefferson believed that the best government was that which was closest to the people. Abraham Lincoln created the forerunner of USDA, what he called “the People’s Department”. Following this tradition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture relies on the local leadership of farmers that are elected to the Farm Service Agency’s county committee system. The committee system was put in place by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933 with the enactment of the Agriculture Adjustment Act. Today, these locally-led committees are USDA’s regionally-empowered decision-makers and are the backbone of the federal government’s efforts to sustain American agriculture.
The importance of the county committee system stems from a simple concept—that local farmers know their communities and their business, and how best to make national programs work locally. Committee members know what issues are facing farmers in their area—and since they are elected by their peers, are themselves active farmers. It is important that the county committee be fairly representative of the producers in the county, including minorities and women.
The FSA county committees administer the Conservation Reserve Program through the county office staff. The county committees approve crop loans by reviewing individual cases, and decide the applicability of other commodity programs like the non-insured crop disaster assistance program. The county committee supervises the operations of the county office, including the hiring of personnel that deliver FSA’s programs. During a disaster, the county committee is responsible for administering FSA’s emergency programs. And when there’s a question about the fairness of the application of FSA programs, it’s the county committee that helps resolve the issues. Committees serve a key role in USDA’s check and balance appeals system.
The county committee is core to USDA’s success at the local level. Through the county committee system, the local farmer is the critical link in implementing national agricultural policy. The county committee serves as the USDA Secretary’s “eyes and ears” in each county, so that USDA knows the particular needs of local farmers and can respond accordingly to local conditions. County committees act on behalf of the Department to partner with other local groups to make a difference in their communities. In short, the county committee system places some of the control of the Department’s assistance to farmers in their own hands.
USDA prides itself in that no other federal department involves people at the local level to the extent that USDA does through the farmer-elected county committee system. By bringing people in at the local level, the Farm Service Agency is the most effective voice for agriculture. The county committee system reflects the needs of the community and the understanding of how to make the national programs work in America’s rural towns and communities.
The Caldwell County Committee election will encompass the townships of Hamilton, Kingston, Gomer, and New York this year. Nominations will be accepted through August 1st from producers in these areas and nominations from individuals and organizations representing the interests of minority, female, and producers from under-represented groups are encouraged. Voting takes place between November 6th and December 4th.
More information on the county committee election, including the nomination form, is available at the Caldwell County FSA office or online at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. To print a nomination form from the website, scroll down to the link below “Important Election Dates” or contact the FSA office in Kingston for a form to be sent to you. Fact sheets are also available on the website under the link called “Fact Sheets”.
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