 Washington/Smyth County USDA Service Center Updates - January 2026 In This Issue: 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 Washington/Smyth 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. Washington/Smyth 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 eastern Chilhowie, western Marion, Broadford, Rich Valley, Steven Mile Ford, Riverside, Adwolfe, and Teas communities) in Smyth County: Michael Carter and David L Spence Michael Carter is nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Carter resides in Rich Valley, Virginia. Carter and his wife, Kristin, own a cow-calf farm. Along with raising cattle, they also keep sheep, goats, donkeys, and chickens. Carter works part-time at Tri-State Livestock Market and recently retired from government work. Carter's professional career spans over 30 years of work in government service for Smyth County, Virginia, and Allegheny County, North Carolina. Carter worked with the Evergreen Soil and Water Conservation District and the Alleghany County Soil and Water Conservation District both professionally and personally. In addition to these two conservation districts, Carter has worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and is a past member of the Rich Valley Farmers Club. David L Spence has also been nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Spence resides in Saltville, Virginia. Spence and his brother, Jeff, own a 250 pair cow/calf operation and produce hay and corn silage. They own and lease approximately 1,000 acres. Spence previously served on the Evergreen Soil and Water Conservation Board and currently serves as Vice-Chairperson of the Washington/Smyth FSA County Committee. Spence is retired from the Smyth County Farm Bureau. The following producers have been nominated and are running in the election in
LAA 5 (which includes eastern Marion, Atkins, Groseclose, Sugar Grove, and the Nebo, Chatham Hill, Cedar Springs, and Ceres communities) in Smyth County: David Douglas Armstrong and Donna Waddle David Douglas Armstrong has been nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Armstrong resides in Marion, Virginia, with his wife, Tonya. He has been farming for 25 years. Armstrong's farming operation includes stocker cattle, cow/calf pairs, hay, and honeybees. Armstrong farms in both Smyth and Washington Counties. Donna Waddle has also been nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Waddle resides in Chilhowie, Virginia. She has been farming for 55 years. Waddle and her family own Waddle Angus Farm where they raise registered Angus cattle. They sell bulls, cow/calf pairs, heifers, and bred heifers. They farm approximately 3,000 acres and produce hay and corn silage. Waddle currently serves as the Washington/Smyth County FSA Committee's Chairperson. 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 Washington/Smyth County FSA office. Top of page  USDA recently announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program available in all 50 states to assist American farmers in adopting practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality and boost long-term productivity, all while strengthening the nation's food and fiber supply. Administered by the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), this new program delivers a streamlined, outcome-based conservation model—empowering producers to plan and implement whole-farm regenerative practices through a single application. During Fiscal Year 2026, the Regenerative Pilot Program will focus on whole-farm planning that addresses every major resource concern—soil, water and natural vitality—under a single conservation framework. USDA is dedicating $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to fund this first year of regenerative agriculture projects. Learn more about the Regenerative Pilot Program. | The USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Direct Farm Ownership loans can help farmers and ranchers become owner-operators of family farms, improve and expand current operations, increase agricultural productivity, and assist with land tenure to save farmland for future generations. There are three types of Direct Farm Ownership Loans: regular, down payment and joint financing. FSA also offers a Direct Farm Ownership Microloan option for smaller financial needs up to $50,000. Joint financing allows FSA to provide more farmers and ranchers with access to capital. FSA lends up to 50 percent of the total amount financed. A commercial lender, a state program or the seller of the property being purchased, provides the balance of loan funds, with or without an FSA guarantee. The maximum loan amount for a joint financing loan is $600,000, and the repayment period for the loan is up to 40 years. The operation must be an eligible farm enterprise. Farm Ownership loan funds cannot be used to finance nonfarm enterprises and all applicants must be able to meet general eligibility requirements. Loan applicants are also required to have participated in the business operations of a farm or ranch for at least three years out of the 10 years prior to the date the application is submitted. The applicant must show documentation that their participation in the business operation of the farm or ranch was not solely as a laborer. For more information about farm loans, contact the Wytheville Farm Loan Office at 276-228-3513, Ext 5 or visit fsa.usda.gov. Top of page Accessibility Statement The U.S. Department of Agriculture is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended in 1998. Section 508 is a federal law that requires agencies to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to electronic information and data comparable to those who do not have disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. The Section 508 standards are the technical requirements and criteria that are used to measure conformance within this law. More information on Section 508 and the technical standards can be found at www.section508.gov. Non-Discrimination Statement In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Top of page |
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