Committee Election Ballots Mailed to Eligible Voters
Elizabethtown, N.C., Nov. 3, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has started mailing ballots for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country. To be counted, ballots must be returned to the Bladen County FSA office or postmarked by Dec. 6.
“FSA county committee members provide valuable knowledge and judgment as decisions are made about the services we provide, including disaster and safety-net programs,” said Chris Tatum, county executive director for Bladen County. “Please take a few minutes to review your ballot and make your selection prior to the Dec. 6 deadline.”
Each committee has from three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office, and at least one
seat is up for election each year for a certain Local Administrative Area (LAA). Newly elected committee
members will take office Jan. 1, 2022. County committee members help FSA make important decisions on its commodity support programs, conservation programs, indemnity and disaster programs, and emergency
programs and eligibility.
The nominees up for election in LAA 1, which includes Elizabethtown, Brown Marsh, Whites Creek, and
Carvers Creek Township in Bladen County are Christopher White and Christine Patrick.
Producers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program 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 but may not have applied or received FSA program benefits. Also, for County Committee elections, producers who are not of legal voting age, but supervise and conduct the farming operations of an entire farm, are eligible to vote.
Producers can find out if their LAA is up for election and if they are eligible to vote by contacting their local
FSA county office. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from their local FSA county office. Visit fsa.usda.gov/elections for more information.
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