FSA elections postponed

Farmers and ranchers in St. Mary Parish received misprinted ballots for the 2017 Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee election, originally set to close on Dec. 4.
Corrected ballots will be sent to eligible farmers and ranchers in St. Mary Parish starting on Jan. 5, 2018. Producers must return ballots to the FSA office by Feb. 2, 2018.
Ballots received prior to Dec. 4 will not be counted. Only the corrected ballots, mailed Jan. 5, 2018, will be counted. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Feb. 2, 2018. As a reminder, this election is to select a representative from Local Administrative Area (LAA) 3, which encompasses Bayou Sale, Centerville, Calumet, Patterson, Idlewild, Bayou Vista, Berwick, Morgan City and Amelia.
FSA county committee members apply their knowledge and judgment to help FSA make important decisions on commodity support programs; conservation programs; indemnity and disaster programs; emergency programs and eligibility. Producers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. Farmers and ranchers who supervise and conduct the farming operations of an entire farm, but are not of legal voting age, also may be eligible to vote. For more information, visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections, or contact the St. Mary Parish FSA office at 337-828-0493, ext. 2.