By Tammy M. Goodyear
County Executive Director
USDA/Farm Service Agency
Farmers in LAA #1, the Dan River Community, have nominated candidates for the Patrick County Committee (COC) Election. Ballots were mailed on November 7. Due to problems with ballots being mailed, the voting deadline has been extended until Tuesday, December 13.
Voters must return completed ballots to the Patrick County FSA Office or the ballots must be postmarked by the December 13 deadline..
The newly elected committee member will take office in January 2017 and will be elected to a three-year term.
The Dan River Community includes areas west of Road #8, (Salem Hwy.) and includes the communities of Stuart, Dobyns, Dry Pond, Claudville, Kibler, Ararat and Willis Gap.
Candidates for Local Administrative Area (LAA) #1, the Dan River Community are as follows:
• Andrew (Drew) Bray lives in the Dry Pond area of Patrick County. He is currently producing hay, beef cattle, and pasture. Bray is a graduate of N.C. State. In addition to beef cattle, Bray has experience with poultry and dairy farming that his family operates.
• James Guynn lives in Ararat. He is a lifetime farmer that has been growing flue tobacco and hay for several years. Guynn has served on the county committee in previous years.
• Jeanie Puckett lives in Ararat and raises truck crops. Puckett raises strawberries, sweet corn, potatoes, pumpkins, watermelons, and sunflowers. She also operates a corn maze on her farm. Puckett current serves on the county committee representing LAA #1.
The farmer-elected Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee serves an important role in the implementation of USDA programs on the local level. The County Committee makes determinations on applications and program regulations.
Major programs that the County Committee has oversite for include the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), grain programs, commodity loans, Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL), disaster programs including the Noninsured Assistance Program (NAP) and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) that also covers honeybee loss due to inclement weather.
Any farm producer in LAA #1 who did not receive a ballot and would like to vote can call (276) 694-3121, extension 2 or visit the Patrick FSA Office located at 135 Stonewall Ct. in Stuart.
