The FSA County Committee Election ballots that were mailed to producers on November 4th were incorrectly printed with the producer’s name and address on the back of the ballot in Washington County. 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 December 20, 2013. 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 Washington County FSA Office or postmarked by January 17, 2014. County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and the 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. If you have questions, contact Washington County FSA Office at 327-8862 extension 2.