County 

Committee 

Elections 

2022

Overview

Farm Service Agency (FSA) county 

committees are a critical component 

of the day-to-day operations of 

FSA and allow grassroots input and 

local administration of federal farm 

programs.

Farmers and ranchers who are 

elected to serve on FSA county 

committees apply using their 

judgment and knowledge to help 

with the decisions necessary to 

administer FSA programs in their 

counties, ensuring the needs of 

local producers are met. FSA county 

committees operate within official 

federal regulations and provide local 

input on:

• Income safety-net loans and 

payments, including setting county 

average yields for commodities;

• Conservation programs;

• Incentive, indemnity, and disaster 

payments for some commodities;

• Emergency programs; and

• Payment eligibility.

Every eligible agricultural producer 

should participate in FSA county 

committee elections–whether 

you are a beginning or established 

producer, historically underserved 

producer (minority and women), or 

whether you have a large or small 

operation–because FSA county 

committees are your link with the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Election Period

Jun. 15

2022

The nomination 

period begins. 

Request nomination 

forms from the local 

FSA county office or 

obtain online at 

fsa.usda.gov/

elections.

Aug. 1

2022

Last day to file 

nomination 

forms at the 

local FSA county 

office.

Nov. 7

2022

Ballots mailed to 

eligible voters.

Dec. 5

2022

Last day to 

return voted 

ballots to the 

local FSA 

county office.

Jan. 1

2023

Newly elected 

county committee 

members take 

office.

Who Can Vote

Agricultural producers of legal voting 

age may be eligible to vote if they 

participate or cooperate in any FSA 

program. A cooperating producer 

is someone who has provided 

information about their farming or 

ranching operation(s) but may not 

have applied or received FSA program 

benefits. A person who is not of legal 

voting age but supervises and conducts 

the operations of an entire farm also 

may be eligible to vote. Members 

of American Indian tribes holding 

agricultural land are eligible to vote 

if voting requirements are met. More 

information about voting eligibility 

requirements can be found in the 

FSA fact sheet titled “FSA County 

Committee Election - Eligibility to 

Vote and Hold Office as a County 

Committee Member,” located at fsa.

usda.gov/elections. Producers may 

contact their local FSA county office 

for more information. To find your local 

FSA county office, visit farmers.gov.

Nominations

Agricultural producers who participate 

or cooperate in an FSA program may 

be nominated for candidacy for the 

county office. Individuals may nominate 

themselves or others as a candidate. 

In addition, organizations representing 

underserved (minority and women) 

farmers or ranchers may nominate 

candidates.

To become a nominee, eligible 

individuals must sign nomination 

form FSA-669A. The form includes a 

statement that the nominee agrees to 

serve if elected. Nomination forms are 

filed in the FSA office that administers 

a producer’s farm records and is 

available at the FSA county office or 

online at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

All nomination forms for the 2022 

election must be postmarked or 

received in the local FSA county office 

by August 1, 2022.

JUNE 2022
Don’t Miss Out On 

Voting

Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters 

by November 7, 2022, and must be 

returned to the FSA county office or 

postmarked by December 5, 2022. 

Eligible voters must contact their local 

FSA county office before the final date 

if they did not receive a ballot.

Uniform Guidelines

USDA issued uniform guidelines for 

county committee elections to help 

ensure that FSA county committees 

fairly represent the agricultural 

producers of a county or multi-county 

jurisdiction, especially underserved 

(minority and women) producers. 

Targeted underserved producers are 

African-Americans, American Indians 

or Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Asian 

Americans, and Native Hawaiians or 

other Pacific Islanders. In addition to 

minority and women producers, USDA 

strongly encourages beginning farmers 

to actively seek a position on a county 

committee. The guidelines govern 

the FSA county committee election 

process and are designed to increase 

participation of underserved (minorities 

and women).

The following are just some of the 

specifics of the guidelines:

• If no valid nominations are filed, 

the Secretary of Agriculture may 

nominate up to two individuals to 

be placed on the ballot.

• FSA county committees annually 

review local administrative area 

boundaries to ensure the fair 

representation of minority and 

women producers in their county or 

multi-county jurisdictions.

• FSA county offices locate and 

recruit eligible candidates identified 

as minority and women farmers and 

ranchers as potential nominees for 

the FSA county committee elections 

through outreach and publicity, 

including the development of 

partnerships with community-based 

organizations.

The guidelines are located at FSA 

County Committee Elections page at 

fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Appointed Voting 

Members

The Farm Security and Rural 

Investment Act of 2002 provides 

the Secretary of Agriculture with 

the authority to appoint targeted 

underserved committee members 

with voting privileges to serve on 

FSA county committees in county or 

multi-county jurisdictions that lack 

fair representation from those groups. 

Secretarial appointees do not replace 

elected members but join them as 

voting members on the committee. 

Individuals serving as non-voting 

minority advisors are encouraged to 

submit a nomination form. These forms 

are also accepted from communitybased organizations representing 

targeted underserved producers. 

Targeted underserved voting members 

are appointed by the Secretary from 

the nominations received.

Role of Advisors

In addition to elected or appointed 

members, FSA county committees 

may also include non-voting minority 

advisors. Advisors are selected to 

county committees in counties or 

multi-county jurisdictions that have 

significant numbers of underserved 

(minority or women) producers but 

lack such members on FSA county 

committees. Advisors play an important 

role by providing diverse viewpoints 

and by representing the interests of 

underserved (minorities and women) in 

decisions made by county committees. 

FSA state committees officially appoint 

advisors who are recommended by 

county committees or communitybased organizations.

For More Information

This fact sheet is for informational 

purposes only; other restrictions 

may apply. For program specifics or 

additional information about FSA 

county committees, visit a local USDA 

Service Center or the FSA county 

committee website at fsa.usda.gov/

elections.

Find your Local USDA 

Service Center

Find your local USDA Service Center at 

farmers.gov.

fsa.usda.gov/

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.