Farmers and landowners are being reminded that local Farm Service Agency county committee nominations began June 15.

Farmers are urged to participate in this year’s county committee elections by nominating candidates by the Aug. 1 deadline. County committees are a vital link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provide a voice to landowners, farmers and ranchers so that their opinions and ideas can be heard.

To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.

The local administrative area up for election in Butler/Beaver/Allegheny counties is LAA-3. LAA-3 is comprised of the following Butler County townships: Cranberry, Jackson, Adams, Forward, Middlesex, Penn, Clinton, Jefferson, Buffalo and Winfield.

Farmers can nominate themselves or others, and organizations representing minorities and women also can nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign the nomination form, FSA-669A. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available online at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. Nomination forms for the 2012 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by close of business on Aug. 1. Elections will take place this fall.

While FSA county committees do not approve or deny loans with the exception of commodity and storage facility loans, they make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Members serve three-year terms. Nationwide, there are about 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members that are elected by eligible producers.

FSA will mail ballots to eligible voters beginning Nov. 5. The ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by Dec. 3. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office Jan. 1.

On June 4, Secretary Tom Vilsack announced his intention to strengthen the FSA county committee system by appointing voting members from the socially disadvantaged community in county jurisdictions that lack fair representation. The goal is to ensure locally elected representatives reflect the diverse interests of their communities.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.