The Lampasas-Burnet County Farm Service Agency office will accept farmer and rancher candidate nominations for local FSA county committees through Aug. 3. Elections will be held in the fall.

"I encourage all producers to participate in the county committee election process by nominating candidates by the Aug. 3 deadline," said Nancy Allred, acting executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's FSA in Lampasas-Burnet County. "We are counting on as much participation as possible, because county committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"We have seen a trend in recent years of increased nominations of minority and women producers, and we hope that will continue," Ms. Allred added.

FSA county committee members make decisions about disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Committees consist of three to five members, elected to three-year terms by eligible local producers.

Nationwide, more than 7,800 farmers and ranchers serve on FSA county committees.

To be eligible to serve, a person must participate 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 Lampasas-Burnet County, the seats up for election in 2009 represent LAA #1 and LAA #3. This includes all of Lampasas County.

Producers may nominate themselves, and organizations representing minority and women also may nominate candidates.

To become a nominee, eligible individuals must sign Form FSA- 669A. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/ webapp?area=news room&subject=landing&topic=cce.

Nomination forms must be postmarked or received in the local USDA service center by the end of the business day on Aug. 3.

FSA will mail ballots to producers beginning Nov. 6. Completed ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by Dec. 7.

Newly elected committee members and alternates take office Jan. 1, 2010.

For more information, phone the Lampasas-Burnet County FSA at 556-5572, ext. 2, or visit the website at www.fsa.usda.gov.