As the 111th Congress adjourned Wednesday, U.S. Rep.

Jason Altmire, D-4th, finished his second term in office without missing a vote.Altmire is the only member of Congress who has been present and voted for every vote called over the past four years. He has cast 3,531 votes since being sworn into office in 2007.

———Josh Young, a 2004 Slippery Rock University graduate and the university’s youngest ever council of trustees chairman, has been named one of 30 Pennsylvania Rising Stars under the age of 30 by the political website PoliticsPA.Young, who earned a degree in political science from SRU and served on student government, has become a fixture in Philadelphia suburban politics.Currently in his second term as a Caln Township supervisor, he was recently elected to Democratic State Committee and serves on the board of the Chester County.

———Beginning in January, farmers in the 8th District in Butler and Mercer counties may be contacted by the federal and state governments for two important surveys that will help guide agriculture policies,State Rep.

Dick Stevenson, R-8th, said more than 600 farmers statewide will be randomly asked to participate in a survey being done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.The Agricultural Resource Management Survey will be done between Jan. 28 and April 14. In total, nearly 35,000 farmers nationwide will offer data on their operating expenditures, production costs and household characteristics.Additionally, the USDA’s Pennsylvania Field Office will survey cattle farmers for its largest cattle survey from Dec. 30 through Jan. 11 Cattle operators will be asked the total number of cattle and calves as of Jan. 1, as well as the total number of heifers, steers, milk cows and beef cows.Stevenson emphasized that all information is protected under federal law and the data provided must be kept confidential.Results of the cattle survey will be made available on Jan. 28, and the data gathered in ARMS will be published Aug. 2. Both reports will be accessible by visiting the NASS website at nass.usda.gov.For questions or concerns regarding both surveys, farmers may contact NASS by calling 1-800-727-9540.