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The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently mailed Farm Service Agency county committee election ballots to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country. Producers and landowners must return their completed ballots in person to their local FSA county office by close of business, or by mail and have them postmarked, by Dec. 7, 2026. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from their local FSA county office.
“Participating in county committee elections gives farmers and ranchers a direct role in ensuring that their local committee reflects the needs of their agricultural community,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. “By voting, producers give their local communities a strong voice when making decisions about federal farm programs that impact their operations. Strong local representation helps FSA better understand and respond to the needs of the producers we serve.”
Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for committee members. Producers can identify LAAs up for election through a geographic information system locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections and can confirm their LAA by contacting their local FSA office.
Committee members make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally, including delivery of FSA disaster recovery, conservation, commodity and price support programs, as well as county office employment and other agricultural issues.
To be eligible to vote in the county committee election, producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and 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.
For purposes of FSA county committee elections, every member of an American Indian tribe is considered an agricultural landowner if the land on which the tribal member’s voting eligibility is based is tribally owned or held in trust by the U.S. for the tribe, even if the individual does not personally produce a commodity on that land. Tribal agricultural landowners 18 years and older can contact their local FSA county office to register to vote.
Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms, and at least one seat representing a LAA is up for election each year.
Newly elected committee members will take office on Jan. 1, 2027.
Visit fsa.usda.gov/elections for more information on county committee elections.
USDA news release
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