Deborah S. Echols, county executive director, this week announced that the County Committee Election ballots that were mailed to producers on Nov. 4 were incorrectly printed with the producer’s name and address on the back of the ballot. County committee elections must use a secret ballot so the misprinted ballots cannot be used. Please destroy or recycle the misprinted ballot. If you have already voted, your ballot will be destroyed unopened. New ballots will be mailed to producers on Dec. 20. These ballots will indicate that they are the corrected ballot in several places, including on the outside of the mailing, on the ballot and on the outside of the return envelope. The corrected ballot must be returned to the Greenbrier County FSA Office or postmarked by Jan. 17. All newly elected county committee members will take office Feb. 18. All county committee members whose term expires on Dec. 31 will have their term extended to Jan. 31, 2014. County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws. To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program. A person who is not of legal voting age, but supervises and conducts the farming operations of an entire farm may also be eligible to vote. The candidates in this year’s election are: Matthew Butcher and Stephen J. Hedrick have been nominated in LAA #2, Greenbrier County, to serve as a committee member. Butcher resides at Friars Hill and produced crops and potatoes and raised beef cattle for 15 years. Hedrick resides south of Williamsburg and has produced crops and raised beef cattle for 41 years. He is an active member of Greenbrier County FSA Committee. More information on county committees, such as the new 2013 fact sheet and brochures, can be found on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections or at a local USDA Service Center. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).
