Deadline to return ballots is Dec 2, 2024: Local Candidates Featured
The 2024 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections began on Nov. 4, 2024, when ballots were mailed to eligible voters. The deadline to return ballots to local FSA offices, or to be postmarked, is Dec. 2, 2024.
County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.
To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program. A person who is not of legal voting age but supervises and conducts the farming operations of an entire farm, may also be eligible to vote. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation(s) but may not have applied or received FSA program benefits.
Eligible voters in local administrative area one or four, who do not receive a ballot can obtain one from their local USDA Service Center. Newly elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2025 to serve a 3-year term.
Sanborn/Jerauld County has two Local Administrative Areas (LAA) up for election in 2024. LAA 1 consists of Townships Chery, Dale, Alpena, N 1/2 of Wessington Springs, N 1/2 of Franklin in Jerauld County and Warren, Jackson, N 1/2 of Woonsocket, N 1/2 of Silver Creek in Sanborn County. LAA 4 consists of Townships Viola, Blaine, S 1/2 of Wessington Springs, S 1/2 of Franklin in Jerauld County and Twin Lake, S 1/2 of Woonsocket and S 1/2 of Silver Creek in Sanborn County.
LAA 1: Chris Albrecht grew up on a family farm near Marion, SD, where he attended school and graduated in 2003. After high school, he attended Lake Area Technical Institute for Diesel Mechanics, which led to spending several years as a heavy equipment mechanic out of Sioux Falls. He and his wife, Amy, were married in 2010, moved back to Alpena, and began farming with her family. Chris also ran a diesel repair shop off the farm for several years. Chris, Amy and their two sons, Cade and Cale, have now spent the last 14 years raising corn, beans, alfalfa, and rye as well as working a cow-calf operation on their three-generation family farm. They do a wide range of custom farming around the area including tillage, planting, trucking, and harvesting. With his experience, Chris looks forward to being able to support and assist area producers through this position.
Andrew Murphy lives just north of Wessington Springs with his wife Lacy and their 3 children Blair (8), Aaliyah (6), and Riggs (2). Andy has lived in the area his whole life. He graduated from Wessington Springs and attended college in Sioux Falls at SE Tech. He moved back after college and has been farming and ranching ever since. Andy has also crop adjusted on the side for Rain and Hail for the last 20 years.
LAA 4: Jennifer Feistner was born and raised in Wessington Springs. She graduated WSHS in 2004 and then attended LATI for Dental Assisting and graduated in 2005. Jennifer worked as a dental assistant until she married her husband Michael Feistner in 2008. They along with their two boys Emmitt, 13, and Henry, 11, farm and ranch together near Woonsocket, SD. Their active family is involved and enjoys many different outdoor activities from showing goats, pigs, chickens and horses in 4-H, to hunting, fishing, camping, tractor shows and enjoying their boat on the river when time allows. Jennifer and her family are active members of their church Our Saviors Lutheran and their surrounding communities. Jennifer and her family raise cattle together and have a row crop operation.
Blake Messmer's deep commitment to the Wessington Springs area shines through his lifelong involvement in agriculture, leadership roles, and community service. From his early start on the family farm, through FFA and 4-H, to his entrepreneurial ventures in custom farm work, Blake has always prioritized local development. His volunteer work as a coach for his son’s sports teams and his readiness to lend a hand show a dedication to supporting the community both on and off the farm. His degree in Ag Production from Mitchell Tech and his hands-on experience managing farm operations position him well to serve on the county committee.
More information on county committees, such as the new 2024 fact sheet, can be found on the FSA website at fsa.usda.gov/ elections or at a local USDA Service Center.