The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Sebastian County announced that Joel (Brent) Cooper of Sebastian County LAA 4 and Justin Lamarr Story of Scott County LAA 5 were elected to represent their Local Administrative Areas (LAA) during the recent county committee election.
Andrew Goldsmith LAA 4 and Phuoc Pham (Doc) LAA 5 will serve as the first alternate.
“County Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA,” said Brandi Long, County Executive Director. “They help deliver programs at the county level and work to serve the needs of local producers.” All recently elected county committee members will take office on March 2, 2026.
Every FSA office is served by a county committee made up of local farmers, ranchers and foresters who are elected by local producers. Other members currently serving on the FSA county committee include Lawana Gill LAA 2, Kevin Hightower LAA 1 and Jeff Ray LAA 3.
Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. The committees are comprised of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. 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 agricultural issues.
