CANADIAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mailed ballots for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country. To be counted, ballots must be returned to the Hemphill County FSA office or postmarked by Feb. 2, 2026.

“FSA county committee members provide valuable knowledge and judgment as decisions are made about the services we provide, including disaster assistance and other critical financial and technical support programs,” said CED Janee Cross, county executive director for Hemphill County. “Please take a few minutes to review your ballot and return your vote prior to the Feb. 2 deadline.”

Each committee is comprised of three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms.

Newly elected committee members will take office March 2, 2026. Hemphill County committee members play a key role in how FSA delivers disaster recovery, safety-net, conservation, commodity and price support programs, as well as making decisions on county office employment and other FSA program delivery issues.

Carey Keeton has been nominated and is running in the election in LAA #1, the area West of Highway 83/60 between the Lipscomb and Wheeler County lines in Hemphill County. Keeton is nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Keeton resides in Canadian and has produced wheat and beef cattle since 1981.

He is an active member of Texas Farm Bureau and served on their board at one time.

To be eligible to vote in the county committee elections, producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and be assigned to the LAA that is up for election. Each year, at least one Local Administrative Area (LAA) in each COC jurisdiction is up for election on a three-year rotation, and each producer is assigned to vote in a single LAA. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits.  

Producers can identify LAAs up for election through a geographic information system locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections and may confirm their LAA by contacting their local FSA office. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from the Hemphill County FSA office at 814 South 2nd Street Canadian TX 79014 or call (806) 323-8371.