Ballots for the county committee election were mailed out Friday for Local Administrative Area 3. Voters have until Dec. 7 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 price support loans and payments; establishment of allotments and yields; conservation programs; incentive, indemnity and disaster payments for some commodities; and other farm disaster assistance.

The FSA County Committee system, established in the 1930s, gives local farmers and ranchers a much-needed say in how farm programs are administered at the grass-roots level. It is vital all eligible farmers and ranchers vote in this year's election to ensure these committees represent the interests of all producers in a community.

If you are on the FSA's mailing list, chances are you are an eligible voter. Anyone who meets the requirements in 1 or 2, plus 3, below is eligible to vote:

1. Be of legal voting age and have an interest in a farm or ranch as either of the following:

• 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 as an owner, operator, tenant or sharecropper; or

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

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

The nominees for election in LAA 3 (Southern Butler County) are:

• Richard Hilliard, a farm manager for Rath Farms in Penn Township. Hilliard farms about 2,600 acres of soybeans and corn. His wife and a small group of employees assist in the farming operation. Along with other duties, Hilliard also does the spraying and marketing of the crops. He has been actively involved in farming all his life.

• Adam "A.J." Kennedy of Cabot. Kennedy has been farming with his father since he was young and also has farmed by himself for two years. On Kennedy's farming operation of 240 acres, they raise hay, corn, soybeans and beef cattle. They also do custom work for people in the surrounding area. The farm has been in the Kennedy family name for more than 100 years. Kennedy plans to make a career out of farming.

• Jeffrey Kennedy of Penn Township. Kennedy and his family milk 60 head of Brown Swiss and Holstein cows along with raising their own replacements. Kennedy no-till farms 110 acres of corn, 16 acres of soybeans and 90 acres of hay in Penn and Middlesex townships. He and his wife, Janice, have two sons who help out when available. Kennedy is a member of the National Brown Swiss Association and is on the board of directors for the Western PA Tractor & Truck Pullers Association.

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 before opening of the ballots to ensure a private vote.

Commodity loansThe current interest rate for nine-month commodity loans disbursed in November is 1.375 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 of the request.Commodity loans are popular for a variety of reasons:• To provide capital.• To provide better opportunity for timely grain marketing.• To capitalize on discounts for inputs offered in the winter.Each farm has its own use.More information will be provided in a future news release.

Agriculture humorA 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.