EC Wisconsin News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Manitowoc County is organizing an informational meeting on June 16, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. The meeting will take place at the Manitowoc County FSA Office located at 4319 Expo Drive, Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Vicky Mueller, the Executive Director of the FSA in Manitowoc County, has encouraged farmers and landowners to attend this session.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the county committee election process for 2025. The nomination period for these elections will commence on June 16 and close on August 1, with forms needing to be postmarked or received by that date.

Counties are divided into Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for election purposes. Each LAA nominates and elects one producer to serve a three-year term on the FSA county committee. In 2025, elections will occur in LAA 3, which covers Centerville, Eaton, Liberty, Meeme, Newton, and Schleswig. A GIS locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections can help producers identify their respective LAAs.

Eligibility criteria for serving on an FSA county committee include participation or cooperation in an FSA-administered program and residing within the LAA where they wish to be a candidate. A cooperating producer provides information about their operations but may not have applied for or received benefits from FSA programs.

Candidates can nominate themselves or be nominated by others; organizations representing minorities and women are also invited to submit nominations. To become a candidate, individuals must complete an FSA-669A nomination form available online.

Nationwide, around 7,700 farmers and ranchers serve on these committees making decisions related to disaster relief programs among other agricultural issues. Committees consist of between three and eleven members elected by eligible producers.

For those requiring accommodations due to disabilities wishing to participate in this meeting should contact Vicky Mueller directly at 920-683-5119 ext.2 or use telecommunication relay services by dialing 7-1-1.