USDA FSA COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTIONS UNDERWAY

Voting is now open for local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections, giving potato growers and other agricultural producers a direct voice in how federal farm programs are administered at the local level.

USDA announced that ballots for eligible agricultural producers and private landowners began arriving by mail the week of January 5, 2026 in Local Administrative Areas (LAAs) scheduled for elections this year. To be counted, ballots must be postmarked or delivered to the local FSA county office by February 2, 2026. Newly elected committee members will take office on March 2, 2026.

FSA county committees play a critical role in guiding how programs are delivered locally, including disaster assistance, conservation initiatives, commodity and price support programs, and other safety-net services important to farm operations.

To be eligible to vote, producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and be assigned to an LAA that is up for election. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied for or received program benefits. Each year, at least one LAA in each county committee jurisdiction is elected on a rotating three-year cycle.

For election purposes, members of American Indian tribes are considered agricultural landowners if the land used to establish eligibility is tribally owned or held in trust by the U.S. Tribal agricultural landowners age 18 and older may contact their local FSA county office to register to vote.

Nationwide, more than 7,700 producers and landowners serve on FSA county committees. Committees are made up of three to 11 members, each serving a three-year term, and they help ensure USDA programs are responsive to local agricultural conditions.

Producers who do not receive a ballot by mail are encouraged to contact their local FSA county office to request one. Information on which LAAs are up for election is available through the locator tool at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Participation in these elections is a simple but meaningful way for potato growers to help shape how USDA programs work on the ground in their communities.