Tuesday, June 1, 2010 3:30 pm

Donny Green, Cannon County FSA County Executive Director, announces that the nomination period for the 2010 Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee Election is underway. The nomination period continues through August 2, 2010.

FSA encourages all producers to participate in the county committee election process by nominating candidates by the August 2 deadline. FSA has seen a trend in recent years of increased nominations of minority, beginning farmers, and women producers and we hope that will continue.

Committees apply their judgment and knowledge to make decisions on county commodity price-support loan eligibility, establishment of allotments and yields, conservation programs, disaster programs, employment and other farm program-related issues.

Nationwide, there are more than 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to five members who are elected by eligible local producers.

To be eligible to serve on an 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.

For the 2010 Election, nominees must reside in Local Administrative Area (LAA) # 3 which is described as the area that includes:

At the intersection of Hwy 53, Red Hill Rd, and Petty Gap Rd; north of Red Hill Rd following Red Hill Rd east, thence west of Bull Pen Creek Rd, continuing in a northern direction all areas west of Lonnie Smith Rd, Eugene Reed Rd, Iconium Rd, and north of Hwy 281 to Hwy 70, following Hwy 70 northeast to Vance Rd, from the intersection of Hwy 70 and Vance Rd west following a line to Mason Hollow Rd, west of Mason Hollow Rd. continuing on Mason Hollow Rd to North Short Mountain Rd, North of North Short Mountain Rd and Big Hill Rd to the intersection of Big Hill and Pea Ridge Rd, west following Pea Ridge Rd North to the Cannon/DeKalb County line.At the intersection of Hwy 53, Red Hill Rd, and Petty Gap Rd, thence north following Petty Gap rd to the intersection of Petty Gap and Basham Ridge Rd; thence east of a line to a point on John Rains Rd; northeast of a line from a point on John Rains Rd to the intersection of Hover Mill rd and US 70 S, John Bragg Hwy., east following a line to the intersection of Locke Creek Rd and Hwy 145, Auburntown Rd, north of a line from the intersection of Locke Creek Rd and Hwy 145 to a point on B Tenpenny Rd; thence northeast of a line to a point on Mingle Hollow Rd and the Cannon County/Rutherford County line.

LAA # 3 generally covers the communities of Iconium, Mooretown, Gassaway, and Woodbury.

Individuals may nominate themselves, or others, as a candidate. In addition, eligible candidates can be nominated by community-based and other organizations in the county where the election is being held before the close of the nomination period, especially groups representing socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers.

Nominations and elections are open to all eligible candidates and voters without regard to race, color, religion, nation origin, age, sex, marital status or disability. The nomination form (FSA-669A) is available at USDA Service Centers and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/elections.

Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters in LAA # 3 on November 5, 2010. Completed ballots must be returned, either in person or postmarked, no later December 6, 2010. For more information about FSA county committees, visit the Cannon County USDA Service Center or call 615-563-4321, extension 2.