The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mailed ballots for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country, including Dubois County. To be counted, ballots must be returned to the Dubois County FSA office or postmarked by December 2nd, 2024.
Each committee has from 3 to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office, and at least one seat is up for election each year for a certain Local Administrative Area (LAA). Newly elected committee members will take office on January 1st, 2025. Dubois County committee members help FSA make important decisions on its commodity support programs, conservation programs, indemnity and disaster programs, emergency programs, and eligibility.
Producer Duane Hopf has been nominated and is running in the 2024 election in LAA 1, which includes Bainbridge, Boone, Madison, and Patoka Townships in Dubois County. His nomination is to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term.
Hopf resides in LAA 1, has produced Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat, for 40 years, and is an active member of The Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District, including as an Associate Supervisor.
Producers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied for or received program benefits. Also, for county committee elections, producers who are not of legal voting age, but supervise and conduct the farming operations of an entire farm, are eligible to vote.
Producers can identify LAAs up for election through a geographic information system locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections and may confirm their LAA by contacting their local FSA office. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from the Dubois County FSA office at 1486 Executive Blvd., Jasper, IN 47546, or call (812) 482-5565.
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