Farm Service Agency:
State Executive Directors, and
State and County/Area Committees
January 29, 2009
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R40179
Farm Service Agency: State Executive Directors, and State and County/Area Committees
he United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) relies heavily on state and local
officials to administer Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs. State Executive Directors
T are political appointees who participate in developing policies and in planning, organizing,
administering, and directing FSA programs and management activities for their respective states.
State, county, and community committees were authorized in 1935 by the Soil Conservation and
Domestic Allotment Act to oversee and administer Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation
Service programs and to consider administrative appeals.
The Farm Service Agency was established by the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and
Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-354), which authorized a
reorganization of USDA. FSA was created by incorporating selected (primarily farm-related)
programs from several agencies, including the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation
Service, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (now within the separate Risk Management
Agency), and the Farmers Home Administration.
In 1995, community committees were dropped from the official structure of the county committee
system after the reorganization. A county committee is deemed an area committee when county
offices are closed and consolidated with another county office. The Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-171) expanded the authority of state, county, and area
committee personnel to include making and servicing loans.
Members of Congress are sometimes called upon to nominate candidates for these positions. This
report provides background on the nature of these positions.
State Executive Directors
State Executive Directors are excepted service (schedule C)1 employees who are appointed by the
Secretary of Agriculture under provisions of 5 CFR 213.3301 and serve at the pleasure of the
Secretary. They are generally nominated by their state’s congressional delegation. State Executive
Directors participate in developing policies, and in planning, organizing, administering, and
directing FSA programs and management activities in their respective states. They are also
responsible for the day-to-day running of the state FSA office. State Executive Directors are paid
at the GS-15 grade level with a salary range (as of 2009) of approximately $112,000-$145,000
annually, according to the General Schedule Salary Table for the “rest of U.S.” geographic area.
State and County/Area Committees
FSA state, county, and community committees were authorized by Section 8(b)(5)(a) of the Soil
Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1935 (P.L. 74-46, 16 U.S.C. §590h(b)(5)).
Community committees were dropped from the official structure of the county committee system
in 1995. Area committees came into being more recently when some county offices were closed
and consolidated with other county offices into an “area” office. State, county, and area
committees share responsibility and work together to administer FSA programs (7 CFR 7). Each
committee meets approximately once a month. If committee members fail to perform their duties,
commit fraud, are incompetent, solicit or receive money for political activities, or fail to comply
with equal opportunity and civil rights policy, they can be removed from office.
1 Schedule C positions are excepted from the competitive service because of their confidential or policy-determining
nature.
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Farm Service Agency: State Executive Directors, and State and County/Area Committees
State Committees
Members of Congress may submit a list of nominees from their congressional districts for the
state committees to the Secretary of Agriculture. From this list the Secretary appoints between
three and five members who are involved with farming in the state to serve for a term established
by the Secretary. USDA has established one-year terms for state committees that expire on
December 31. Once appointed, state committee members are intermittent USDA employees (part-
time, not on a regular schedule) and are paid by the hour at the GS-14, step 1, salary rate. State
committee chairpersons are paid at the GS-15, step 1, salary rate.
State committees have both administrative and operational responsibilities. State committees are
responsible for administering various programs, including state agricultural conservation
programs, production adjustment and price support programs, livestock programs, Agricultural
Market Transition Act programs, and other programs assigned by the Secretary or Congress.
Operational responsibilities include the efficient and orderly operations of county committees and
county offices. State committees also conduct reviews, hear appeals, and are authorized to take
corrective action if a county committee or county office employee fails to make an authorized
program accessible and available to producers, fails to carry out a program according to
regulations and directives, or does not provide the public with timely and reasonable service.
State committees, in conjunction with the State Executive Director, also determine certain local
program and administrative policies.
County/Area Committees
All information that pertains to county committees pertains to area committees, since area
committees are county committees with jurisdiction of more than one county. When county
offices are closed and consolidated with another county office, the county committee is deemed
an area committee. The term “county” used in the following paragraphs also refers to area
committees.
County committee nominees may be nominated by an eligible voter or a community-based
organization representing socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, or they may nominate
themselves. Eligible voters must be of legal voting age and be involved with farming, or be the
spouse of a farmer or a representative of an entity involved in farming. County committee
nominees can be a committee member with an expiring term or an eligible voter, but they cannot
be persons who were dishonorably discharged from military service, removed from public office,
convicted of fraud or larceny, a USDA employee, or a sales agent or employee of the Federal
Crop Insurance Corporation. County committees now consist of three to eleven members,
including the chairperson and vice chairperson. County committee members serve for three years
and are paid at a level equivalent to the GS-6, step 1, grade level on an hourly basis. They are
limited to 8 hours a month. Some committees meet monthly, others meet only a few times per
year. County committee members are limited to three consecutive terms.
County committees are responsible for the agricultural conservation programs, the production
adjustment and price support programs, livestock programs, and any other program as assigned.
Their duties consist of selecting the County Executive Director; reviewing, approving, and
certifying applications, forms, reports, and documents; recommending and reviewing local
administrative area boundaries; informing farmers and the public about FSA programs; providing
committee data to other government agencies upon request; informing state committees and
others in FSA about suggestions to programs made by farmers; conducting hearings as directed
by state committees; and any other duties assigned to them.
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Farm Service Agency: State Executive Directors, and State and County/Area Committees
The County Executive Director is a full-time USDA employee responsible for day-to-day county
office operations. This includes staffing the county office; receiving, disposing of, and accounting
for county office property and money; advising the county committee on election procedures; and
assisting the county committee. County Executive Directors are paid under a grade scale that
USDA uses for county employees, which is equivalent to the GS-11 and GS-12 grade level.
Author Information
Carol Canada
Information Research Specialist
Disclaimer
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R40179 · VERSION 3 · NEW
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