Ballots for the county committee election were mailed out Nov. 5 for Local Administrative Areas 2 and 4. Voters have until Dec. 6 to return their ballots to the county office.

Farm Service Agency County Committee members make important decisions on how federal farm programs fit the needs of Pennsylvania producers. FSA County Committees make decisions on commodity prices; support loans and payments; establishment of allotments and yields; conservation programs; incentive, indemnity, and disaster payments for some commodities; and other disaster assistance.

The committee system, established in the 1930s, gives farmers and ranchers a much-needed say in how farm programs are administered at the grass-roots level. It is vital that all those who are eligible vote in this year's election.

If you are on the FSA mailing list, chances are you are an eligible voter. Anyone who meets the one of the first two requirements and the third below is eligible to vote:

• Be of legal voting age and have an interest in a farm or ranch as either an owner, operator, tenant or sharecropper, or a partner in a general partnership or member of a joint venture that has an interest in a farm.

n Not of legal voting age, but supervises and conducts the farming operations on an entire farm.

• Eligible to participate in any FSA program that is provided by law, regardless of the status of funding.

The nominees for election in LAA 2 (Mid-section Butler County) are:

• Leroy Bergbigler: “We are dairy farmers in Clearfield Township Butler County. My wife, Mary, and our oldest daughter, Marybeth, work full time on the farm of about 300 acres. We grow hay, corn, oats and soybeans and milk about 100 cows. We work hard to be good caretakers of the land, the cows and the environment.”

• Sandi Cox: “The family farm is located in Connoquenessing Township, Butler County. We raise 100 head of beef cattle and 450 acres of crops: hay, corn and soybean. I grew up on a dairy and crop farm, also. I also own Sandra Cox Cleaning and Storage Solutions. My husband, Dave, and I have been married for 25 years. We have 4 children: David, Vickie, Pam and Heather. I am a leader in 4-H, a lifetime member of Girl Scouts and chairman of Connoquenessing Township Planning Commission. I would be honored to serve on the FSA committee.”

• Guy Daubenspeck: “Our farm is located in Connoquenessing Township, Butler County. It is 226 acres, 91 of which are tillable. We raise approximately 50 head of beef cattle, hay, corn, wheat and oats. We also run a custom ground feed business here at the farm. I am the fourth generation of my family to run this farm and am assisted by my wife, Carol.”

• Janet Jesteadt: “I am a 40-year resident of Prospect where I reside on a 100-plus acre farm with my husband, Robert. I am a mother of two: Glee (Hart) and Bobby. Both children live within walking distance of the farm, which allows plenty of time to visit with my three grandchildren; Keaton, Julia and Joey. I am a former business owner, running a successful greenhouse for over 25 years and a dairy farm for over 30 years. My husband, Robert, has been farming his entire life on the very same land he grew up on. The farming operation has grown over the years by leasing land from nearby landowners. We now farm over 200 acres, producing crops such as feed corn, hay, barley, oats and soybeans.”

The nominee for election in LAA 4 (Northern Beaver County) is:

• Elder Vogel Sr.: “My family and I own and operate about 400 acres in New Sewickley Township, Beaver County, where we milk between 40 to 50 registered Holstein cows. We maintain about the same number of young stock. We grow corn, oats and wheat along with hay for the cattle feed. We belong to several organizations including the Pa. Grange, Pa. Holstein Association, Pa. Farm Bureau and our church.”

Voters are reminded to sign the label on the inside flap of the return envelope to be considered a valid ballot. These labels are removed prior to the opening of the ballots to ensure a private vote.

The interest rate for 9-month commodity loans disbursed in November is 1.25 percent. Eligible commodities are corn, soybeans, wheat, oats and barley. Commodity loans provide one option for producers to consider when obtaining operating capital for crop inputs. Commodity loans are simple to process and are normally completed within five working days.

A Texas farmer goes to Australia for a vacation. There he meets an Aussie farmer, who shows off his big wheat field. The Texan says, “Oh, we have wheat fields that are at least twice as large.” Then they walk around the ranch a little and the Aussie shows off his herd of cattle. The Texan says, “We have longhorns that are at least twice as large as your cows.” The conversation has almost died by now, but the Texan sees a herd of kangaroos hopping through the field. He asks, “And what are those?” The Aussie asks with an incredulous look, “Don’t you have any grasshoppers in Texas?”Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.