FC's Wilson elected to local FSA County Committee

Franklin County’s Frances Beth Wilson has been elected to serve on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency County Committee leadership team.

Wilson, who will serve as representative for Local Administrative Area No. 4 in Franklin County, was joined on the panel by Juanita Guzman Tripp of Lincoln County.

Tripp was elected to represent LAA No. 2.

The committee’s role is to oversee a wide range of federal agriculture-related initiatives in Franklin and Lincoln counties in Southwest Mississippi.

Every FSA office is required to have an elected oversight committee that helps make key decisions on commodity support, conservation, indemnity, disaster and emergency programs and eligibility.

“Our role impacts local producers by ensuring fair and equitable administration of FSA farm programs and we’re accountable to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture,” Wilson said.

“Other parts of our work include making certain underserved farmers, ranchers and foresters are fairly represented, making recommendations on existing programs, monitoring changes in farm initiatives and informing farmers about new and existing FSA programs.”

Wilson, who took office this month, is among nearly 7,800 FSA county committee members who serve across the nation.

In another matter related to the local FSA operation, the organization has announced Franklin County producers are eligible to apply for Livestock Forage Disaster Program benefits based on a drought designation dated March 8, 2022.

Producers must have owned and possessed eligible livestock between Jan. 7 and March 7, 2022, to participate in this assistance program, which provides compensation for grazing losses on privately owned or cash-leased property on federally managed lands.

Wilson said Franklin County producers will need to complete a CCC-853 form and the required supporting documentation through FSA no later than Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, for their eligible 2022 losses.

For additional information related to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, contact the USDA Service Center for Lincoln and Franklin counties by calling 601-833-9321 (extension No. 2) or visit fsa.usda.gov online.