| FSA-669; Nomination Petitions are available using these links for the English and Spanish versions:
English: 2014 Nomination Form for County FSA Committee Election
Spanish: 2014 Nomination Form for County Committee Election While FSA county committees do not approve or deny farm ownership or operating loans, they make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Members serve three-year terms. Nationwide, there are about 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members that are elected by eligible producers. The Local Administrative Area (LAA) up for election in San Saba County for 2014 is LAA#1. This area lies north of State Highway 190, west of FM Road 500 and County Road 137. The area includes the communities of Harkeyville, Algerita, Richland Springs, China Creek, Hall, Skeeterville, Locker, Holt, Browser, and Elm Grove. The Local Administrative Area (LAA) up for election in Burnet County for 2014 is LAA#4. This area lies south of State Highway 29 in Burnet County. The area includes the communities of Gandy, Bertram, Oatmeal, Sudduth, Scobee, Fairland, Highland Haven, Granite Shoals, Meadow Lakes, Cottonwood Shores, Smithwick, and Spicewood. FSA will mail ballots to eligible voters beginning Nov. 3, 2014. Ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by Dec. 1, 2014. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office on January 1, 2014. USDA Kicks Off the 2014 "Feds Feed Families" Nationwide Food Drive USDA kicked off the 6th annual Feds Feed Families Campaign on June 2, 2014. The food drive is an annual event in which Federal employees, nationwide, collect food for distribution by food banks, food pantries, and shelters. The Feds Feed Families program started in 2009. The 2014 food drive officially began on June 2 and will run through August 27. All Federal agencies across the country participate in the campaign and Federal employees are asked to donate non-perishable food items throughout the summer. Donations are given to local food banks across the country – having a positive impact to help food banks address food insecurity. Secretary Vilsack noted that the latest USDA estimates show that in 2012, food insecurity affected 14.5 percent of American households at some point. If you are interested in making a donation to the annual "Feds Feed Families" Food Drive, please contact your local USDA Service Center at 512.556.5572. For more information on the Feds Feed Families campaign, please visit: http://www.usda.gov/fedsfeedfamilies. UDA Seeks Sponsors for Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is looking for sponsors to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. SFSP is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). SFSP reimburses approved sponsors for serving meals that meet Federal nutritional guidelines. Sponsors receive payments from USDA based on the number of meals they serve. All meals are served free to eligible children, who are 18 years old and under at approved SFSP sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children. Sponsors are organizations that manage SFSP feeding sites. Sponsors must be organizations that are fully capable of managing a food service program. To be a sponsor, you must follow regulations and be responsible, financially and administratively, for running your program. The following types of organizations can be sponsors: - Public or private nonprofit schools
- Units of local, municipal, county, tribal, or State government
- Private nonprofit organizations
- Public or private nonprofit camps
- Public or private nonprofit universities or colleges
A sponsor may prepare its own meals, purchase meals through an agreement with an area school, or contract for meals with a food service management company (vendor). For questions or to apply, please contact: Texas NSLP, CACFP, SFSP
State Director
Food and Nutrition
Department of Agriculture
1700 North Congress Avenue, 11th Floor
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 877-839-6325
Fax: 888-203-6593 Or visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-food-service-program-sfsp. USDA Awarding $6 Million to Prepare Farmers for New Farm Bill Programs USDA is awarding $6 million to universities and cooperative state extension services to develop online decision tools and other materials and train experts to educate producers about several key farm bill programs. The new Web tools will help farmers and ranchers determine what participation in programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will mean for their businesses. The University of Illinois (lead for the National Coalition for Producer Education), along with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri and the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M (co-leads for the National Association of Agricultural and Food Policy), will receive a total of $3 million to develop the new online tools and train state-based extension agents who can in turn help educate farmers. The new resources will help farmers and ranchers make an educated choice between the new Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. Using the new online tools, producers will be able to use data unique to their specific farming operations combined with factors like the geographical diversity of crops, soils, weather and climates across the country to test a variety of financial scenarios before officially signing up for the new program options later this year. Once a producer enrolls in the ARC or PLC program, he or she must remain in the program through the 2018 crop year. New tools will be provided for other programs as well. Sign-up for the newly established Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP) begins late this summer and enrollment for "buy-up" provisions under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) will begin early next year. An online MPP tool will be available when sign up begins and the NAP buy-up provision resource will become available to producers in the fall for the 2015 crop year. USDA will also award $3 million to state cooperative extension services—a nationwide network of experts based at land-grant universities—for outreach and education on the new Farm Bill programs. Funds will be used to conduct public education outreach meetings where producers can speak with local extension agents and Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff. Outreach meetings will begin late this summer to help farmers and ranchers understand the new programs and their options. While universities work to create new online tools, producers now have access to a preliminary website that gives them a chance to begin familiarizing themselves with the new programs and the type of information they will need to consider when deciding which program options work better for them. At this site, farmers and ranchers can view ARC and PLC projected payments, ARC guarantees, and PLC payment rate projections. These tables are available on the FSA website. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov or the local FSA office for information about FSA and the 2014 Farm Bill programs. New Farm Bill Offers Increased Opportunities for Producers
The 2014 Farm Bill offers increased opportunities for producers including farm loan program modifications that create flexibility for new and existing farmers. A fact sheet outlining modifications to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Farm Loan Programs is available here. The Farm Bill expands lending opportunities for thousands of farmers and ranchers to begin and continue operations, including greater flexibility in determining eligibility, raising loan limits, and emphasizing beginning and socially disadvantaged producers. Changes that will take effect immediately include: - Elimination of the 15 year term limit for guaranteed operating loans.
- Modification of the definition of beginning farmer, using the average farm size for the county as a qualifier instead of the median farm size.
- Modification of the Joint Financing Direct Farm Ownership Interest Rate to 2 percent less than regular Direct Farm Ownership rate, with a floor of 2.5 percent. Previously, the rate was established at 5 percent.
- Increase of the maximum loan amount for Direct Farm Ownership Down Payment Loan Program from $225,000 to $300,000.
- Elimination of rural residency requirement for Youth Loans, allowing urban youth to benefit.
- Debt forgiveness on Youth Loans, which will not prevent borrowers from obtaining additional loans from the federal government.
- Increase of the guaranteed percentage on Conservation Loans from 75 to 80 percent and 90 percent for socially disadvantaged borrowers and beginning farmers.
- Microloans will not count toward direct operating loan term limits for veterans and beginning farmers.
Additional modifications must be implemented through the rulemaking processes. Visit the FSA Farm Bill website for detailed information and updates to farm loan programs.
Controlled Substance Any person convicted under federal or state law of a controlled substance violation could be ineligible for USDA payments or benefits. Violations include planting, harvesting or growing a prohibited plant. Prohibited plants include marijuana, opium, poppies and other drug producing plants.
USDA Enhances Farm Storage Facility Loan Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the expansion of the Farm Storage and Facility Loan program, which provides low-interest financing to producers. The enhanced program includes 22 new categories of eligible equipment for fruit and vegetable producers. Producers with small and mid-sized operations, and specialty crop fruit and vegetable growers, now have access to needed capital for a variety of supplies including sorting bins, wash stations and other food safety-related equipment. A new more flexible alternative is also provided for determining storage needs for fruit and vegetable producers, and waivers are available on a case-by-case basis for disaster assistance or insurance coverage if available products are not relevant or feasible for a particular producer. Additionally, Farm Storage Facility Loan security requirements have been eased for loans up to $100,000. Previously, all loans in excess of $50,000 and any loan with little resale value required a promissory note/security agreement and additional security, such as a lien on real estate. Now loans up to $50,000 can be secured by only a promissory note/security agreement and some loans between $50,000 and $100,000 will no longer require additional security. The low-interest funds can be used to build or upgrade permanent facilities to store commodities. Eligible commodities include grains, oilseeds, peanuts, pulse crops, hay, honey, renewable biomass commodities, fruits and vegetables. Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for fruits and vegetables. Contact your local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov for more about FSA programs and loans, including the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay),
(866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users). | 
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