The USDA Farm Service Agency announced that the FSA County Committee Elections began Friday with the mailing of ballots to eligible voters. The deadline to return the ballots to local FSA offices is January 17, 2014. Producers have been instructed to destroy the FSA County Committee Election ballots mailed on November 4th. The new ballots mailed to producers will have the word “corrected” printed on the outside of the mailing, the ballot itself, and the return envelope. Producers must complete and return the corrected ballots to have their vote counted. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the coming week can obtain one from their local USDA Service Center. Newly elected committee members and their alternates will take office February 18, 2014. County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and 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. More information on county committees, such as the 2013 fact sheet and brochures, can be found on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections or at a local USDA Service Center.