Vigil has been around agriculture his entire life, growing up on his father’s sheep operation. He took over in 1992 and it became a cow-calf operation.
Jake Vigil has been a member of the Rio Arriba USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee in New Mexico for six years.
“I joined because I wanted to know what is going on in the FSA office,” Vigil said. “FSA programs have really helped me out. I want to make sure my fellow farmers and ranchers know about them too.”
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.
Vigil has been around agriculture his entire life, growing up on his father’s sheep operation. He took over in 1992 and it became a cow-calf operation. He hopes to leave it to his two sons one day.
“It’s hard work. When I’m not fixing a fence, I’m chasing cows,” he said. “It’s a seven-day job, but I’m proud of my work and enjoy what I do.”
The future of agriculture is important to Vigil. His advice for current and prospective county committee members is to spread the word about FSA programs to farmers and ranchers in their areas, and to educate communities about the value of agriculture.
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.
