FSA asks for comment on proposed LAA changes

Staff report

The U.S. Department of Agriuculture’s Hill County Farm Service Agency Committee is requesting comments on proposed changes to the borders of two Local Administrative Areas.

The LAAs divide the county into four regions, from each of which a committee member is elected. The county committee members actively make decisions on the administration of FSA programs in the county.

The duties include providing input on and helping administer programs including commodity price support loans and payments; conservation programs; incentive, indemnity and disaster payments for some commodities; emergency programs, and setting rates and yields for the local areas.

Effective in 2008, Hill Count FSA created a fourth LAA which largely included Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation to ensure that agricultural producers on the reservation had a voting member on the committee. FSA said in a press release that information available at the time resulted in the LAA leaving part of the reservation out and included some land not on the reservation.

Using GIS technology, FSA has proposed redrawing the boundaries of LAA 3 and LAA 4 to more accurately reflect the exterior boundaries of the reservation, the release says.

LAA 4 would be modified to include the external boundary of the Rocky Boy’s reservation and that portion of Hill County south of the reservation. LAA 3 will be modified to include those parts of existing LAA 3 and existing LAA 4 that fall outside of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation.

People cam view more detailed information on the proposed change at http://1.usa.gov/1Wrjb3r.

People who want to comment on the proposed changes can submit comments to the Hill County FSA Committee care of the Hill County FSA Office, 206 25th Ave W STE 2, Havre, MT 59501, via email to [email protected], or via fax to 855-556- 1459. Comments must be post marked no later than April 22, 2016.