Hess has been a part of the cattle industry her entire life. Before starting her career, she attended Louisiana State University (LSU) and became the first female member of the LSU livestock judging team.
Monica “Missy” Hess is a cattle producer in Morganza, Louisiana, and the chairperson for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee in Pointe Coupee Parish.
Hess became a county committee member in 2012, after retiring from 33 years of service with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
County committee members are elected by their peers and are a direct link between the agricultural community and USDA. Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. They help deliver FSA farm programs at the local level. Farmers who serve on committees help decide the kind of programs their counties will offer and work to make FSA agricultural programs serve the needs of local producers.
“It’s important to keep people in your parish aware of what is going on at FSA and the programs that could better their operation or farming methods,” Hess said. “I joined the county committee to keep the cattle people informed, as there are a bunch of cattle producers in our parish.”
Hess has been a part of the cattle industry her entire life. Before starting her career, she attended Louisiana State University (LSU) and became the first female member of the LSU livestock judging team. She and her husband, Arnold, have a cow-calf operation of about 450 head, 30 of which are registered Black Angus.
For more information on FSA county committee elections, contact your local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
