Nominees tabbed for FSA seat

Two nominations were put forth for election to represent the eastern third of Whitman County on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency’s central county committee.

The nominees were Joe Horlacher, who farms west of Tekoa, and Gregory Stout, who farms in the Colton area. Ballots will soon be sent to county farmers and must be returned by Monday, Dec. 6. Ballots will be counted at the Dec. 13 committee meeting.

The elected farmer will take the seat that has been held for the past three years by Garfield farmer Larry Schroetlin.

The committee is responsible for reviewing and approving crop disaster applications. It also determines the need for special disaster programs, such as the Livestock Assistance Program and the recently announced move to allow haying and grazing on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

The committee also makes determinations related to federal programs like CRP, the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) and commodity loans.

The County Committee also acts as a quasi-judicial board for farmers who appeal adverse FSA determinations on their farming practices.