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 Sebastian County FSA office or postmarked by Feb. 2, 2026.
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. Sebastian, Scott and Crawford 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.
The following producers have been nominated and are running in the election in LAA 4, which includes Bonanza, Hackett, Huntington, Midland, Hartford, Mansfield, Abbott, Coaldale, Bates, Cauthron, Oliver-Sebastian County and Scott County From Hwy 71 to the East the West boundary is the Oklahoma State line, and South Boundary to HWY 28 in Scott County are Joel (Brent) Cooper and Andrew Goldsmith.
Joel (Brent) Cooper is nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Cooper resides in Hackett area and has managed a working, purebred cattle operation, cattle husbandry, and hay production, for approximately 30 years.
Andrew Goldsmith has also been nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Goldsmith resides in Hackett area and has been a cattle rancher since 2008 raising miniture Herefords. He established a company in 2021 called Goats On The Go Ft Smith to do targeted grazing.
The following producers have been nominated and are running in the election in LAA 5, which includes North Booth, Elm Fork, Eveningshade, Winfield, Waldron, Pleasant Valley, Ohio, Union, Blue Ball, Needmore, Parks, Boles, Cedarcreek and Y City. Scott County, the West Boundary is the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line are Justin Lamarr Story and Phuoc Pham.
Justin Lamarr Story is nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Story resides in Scott County, East Waldron area and he has been raising and growing his own cattle since 2008. He is currently working with cattle and sheep. He is Vice President of the Scott County Fair Board.
Phuoc Pham (Doc) has also been nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Pham resides in Parks, AR and has been in business and financial aspects of various poulty farms. He is currently operating 7 house poultry farm.
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 Sebastian County FSA office at 3913 Brooken Hill Drive, Ft. Smith, AR. 72908 or call 479 646 8300 ext 2.
