D. Kyle Brown, USDA Farm Service Agency County Executive Director, has announced that the nomination period for farmer and rancher candidates for local Farm Service Agency county committees is in progress and will continue through August 3. Elections will take place in the fall.

The 2009 election for Wilkes County committee members will be held in Local Administrative Areas (LAA) 2 and 5.

"County committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and give landowners, farmers and ranchers a better chance of having their opinions and ideas heard," Brown said. "In recent years, we have seen a trend of increased nominations of minority and women producers and I hope that will continue."

To be eligible to serve on a Farm Service Agency (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. Producers may nominate themselves or others, and organizations representing minorities and women may also nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign the nomination form, FSA-669A. Nomination forms for the 2009 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by close of business on August 3, 2009.

Locally, meetings will be held on Thursday, July 30, at 9 a.m., at the Wilkes County FSA Office located at 52A Lexington Avenue in Washington, and also on Thursday, July 30, at 11 a.m. at the Lincoln County Farm Bureau Office located at 220 South Washington Street in Lincolnton.

FSA will mail ballots to eligible voters beginning November 6. The voted ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by December 7. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office January 1, 2010.