Penni Douglas, Acting County Executive Director of the Drew/Bradley/Calhoun County Farm Service Agency, explained that local administrative area boundaries, or LAA’s, are elective areas for Farm Service Agency committees in a county or jurisdiction and Drew/Bradley/Calhoun County has seven LAA’s.
LAA-1 is the western portion of Drew County and consists of the townships of Clearcreek, Saline, Crook and Veasey.
LAA-2 is the North and northeastern portion of Drew County and consists of the townships of Springhill, Liveoak, Marion and Franklin.
LAA-3 is the southern and southeastern portion of Drew County and consists of the townships of Marion, Cominto, Bearhouse-Collins and Bartholomew.
LAA-4 is the northern half of Bradley County and consists of the communities of Warren, McKinney, Farmville, Banks, Lanark and Carmel.
LAA-5 is the southern half of Bradley County consists of the communities of Hermitage, Greenville, Pattsville, Sumpter, Mt. Olive, Smearney, Ingalls, Johnsville, Vick, Jersey, Moro Bay and Broad.
LAA-6 is the northern half of Calhoun County and consists of the communities of Hopeville, Thornton, Chambersville, Tinsman, Woodberry, Hampton and Harrell all north of Highway 4.
LAA-7 is the southern half of Calhoun County and consists of the communities Summerville, Delhi and Locust Bayou all south of Highway 4.
A detailed map is available in the FSA Office. Public comments are invited.
From June 15 through August 1, 2022, farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers can nominate eligible candidates to serve on the Farm Service Agency County Committee. Each year an election is held in one or more LAA’s (local administrative area) to replace the committee member whose 3-year term is expiring. In Drew County, LAA-3 will be open for nominations in the upcoming election and is currently represented by Leslie Justice. In Bradley County, LAA-5 will be open for nominations in the upcoming election and is currently represented by Moses Williams.
To hold office as a county committee member, 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.
Individuals may nominate themselves or others as candidates. Additionally, organizations representing minorities and women may nominate candidates. All nominees must sign nomination form FSA-669A, which includes a statement that the nominee agrees to serve if elected. COC election materials may be found at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections.
The COC nomination period runs from June 15, 2022, through August 1, 2022, but nominations can be taken now.
Voting takes place in the fall. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters by November 7, 2022. The final day to return voted ballots to the local USDA Service Center is December 5, 2022. Newly elected county committee members take office January 1, 2023.
While FSA county committees do not approve or deny farm ownership or operating 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 eleven members that are elected by eligible producers.
For more information on the nomination and election process, visit your local USDA Service Center. The Service Center in Drew County is open to visitors. Our staff also continues to work with agricultural producers via phone, e-mail, and other digital tools. Our office is located at 419 W. Gaines St. Ste. 2, Monticello, Arkansas.
Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in this meeting, function, or event, should contact Penni Douglas, Acting CED at 870-224-7319 or the Federal Relay Service at 7-1-1, and penni.douglas@usda.gov at least 7 days in advance of the desired service date.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. 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 7-1-1 for
Federal Relay Services.