Dawson and her husband Phil run 250 head of Angus and mixed-breed cattle on 1,200 acres of pasture and grow corn, soybeans and winter wheat on 800 acres.
Beth Lee Dawson has served on the Dickson County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Committee in Tennessee for two years. Dawson and her husband, Phil, grow corn, soybeans and winter wheat on 800 acres. They also run 250 head of Angus and mixed-breed cattle on 1,200 acres of pasture.
Dawson works full-time off the farm as an accountant for several small companies and Phil farms full-time. Dawson’s background in accounting means that she handles the books for the farming operation and conducts all of the business at the Dickson County FSA Office.
“My husband is not a paperwork person,” Dawson said. “I always fill out the paperwork every year to report crops, revenue and sign up for programs. I know the employees in the office and how it all works.”
On one of her office visits, Dawson learned that there was a committee member position opening in her local administrative area and she accepted a nomination.
Dawson serves on a three-member committee and enjoys making sure producers in the county are aware of programs and benefits. Her advice to producers considering serving on their local FSA committee, “Don’t be afraid. Go for it.”
Dawson also serves as president of the Dickson Farmers Coop Board and Phil is on the Cheatham County Soil and Water Conservation District Board.
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.
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.
