NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FARMER ELECTED COMMITTEES
Craig Turner
President
P O Box 78
Matador, TX 79244
Cell 806-269-0610
Fax 806-347-2974
turner_and_turner@yahoo.com
Cole Sims
1st Vice President
P O Box 471
Mer Rouge, LA 71261
Tel 318-647-5005
Cell 318-282-9951
farmercole@msn.com
Dennis Kuhlengel
2nd Vice President
15389 Dog Alley Road
Okawville, IL 62271
Tel 618-243-5963
Cell 618-967-0667
Cathie Kreager
Secretary/Treasurer
2705 Tom Road
Chandlersville, OH 43727
Tel 740-674-4844
ckreager@hughes.net
Tommy Shepard
Southwest Area Director
fddirector@soda-ok.org
Neal Baxley, Jr
Southeast Area Director
baxleyfarmsllc@bellsouth.net
Dan Noteboom
Northwest Area Director
noteboom51@gmail.com
Jim Cox
Northeast Area Director
gercox10@frontier.com
Tom Montgomery
At-Large Director
monty9@midrivers.com
Subject:NAFEC Recommendation for COC Training
Dear Administrator Garcia:
We appreciate getting to meet with you and your Deputy Administrators during the recent
NASCOE Convention. We are always looking for ways to improve FSA since NAFEC’s ongoing
mission is to promote and improve the farmer elected committee system for the local
administration of farm programs. As we discussed in Asheville, achieving this mission requires
adequate training. In order to facilitate improvements that will enhance farm program
administration, we believe it is imperative that every COC member and advisor, CED, and DD
be given the opportunity to receive annual face to face training. At a minimum, NAFEC
recommends the following topics/subject areas be utilized in all future training agendas and
curriculum;
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History of the COC system, laws past and present that lay out the COC’s authorities.
o Grass roots input into Federal Farm Programs
o Democracy in Action
o The election process, eligibility, expectation of COC members, Oath of Office,
Program, Public Info, Outreach, EEO, and common activities of a COC
 USDA/FSA Organizational Structure
o Overview of FSA
o Chain of Command
 Ethics and EEO
o Treating all producers fairly, Conflicts of Interest, Hatch Act,
Gift/Bribes/Gratuities, Confidentiality, Sexual Harassment
 How the County Committee Operates
o Decision making – only as a group not individually
o Keeping the public informed/outreach – methods and annual plan
o COC meetings – How often, who leads, CED preparation etc. roles of key
players, agenda and minutes, action taken between meetings, delegations of authority,
o Hiring a CED and supervision by the COC of the CED which includes
performance evaluation and rating process, reprimands or unfavorable actions, approval of
CED’s leave, and DD’s input/contribution/interaction with the COC on CED’s personnel
actions,
o Recommendations to the STC on issues to improve farm program delivery
 The COC’s Role with Personnel
o COC’s Role with the DD – the DD serves as the liaison between the SED, STC
and the CED and COF personnel. The COC is the CED supervisor not the DD and this should be
clearly explained.
o COC’s role with county office PT’s – the COC are not the authority of the staff
this is the job of the CED and this should be clearly understood.
Serving Agriculture Since 1965
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o COC’s role with Farm Loan Programs, and the FLP staff
Appeals and Reconsiderations
o Producer’s due process options, keys to an effective producer hearing, ground rules for a hearing,
COC Chair’s role, post-hearing decision, producer hearing documentation
Current issues affecting county offices, including budget and staffing challenges
o SED, Division Chiefs, and STC could help answer questions and provide details of current planning
and data being used for various considerations such as state ceilings, administrative convergence,
understaffed offices, shared management, office closures, directed reassignment, sequestration,
and budget forecasts.
o MIDAS updates, IT and software challenges
Program Updates
o Use of current fact sheets, possible Farm Bill training actions and training aides
FSA definitions, acronyms, abbreviations
Hiring Questions – Examples of what can and cannot be asked.
Introduction to NAFEC – provide COC members information on NAFEC membership.
Evaluations & Assessments
o Of the current COC, ask members to evaluate their current performance
o Have all attendees evaluate the course structure and information to see what is valuable, useful,
or what needs to be added or emphasized more.
We believe following a training plan such as this would be of great benefit and improve the moral of both
permanent employees and our COC’s. We appreciate you requesting this information and hope that it will
become a reality in the coming year.
Sincerely,
Craig Turner
NAFEC President
Serving Agriculture Since 1965