Botetourt/Craig/Roanoke County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director C. Jean Hazlegrove has announced that farmers and ranchers in Virginia can now receive notifications from their county office through text messages on their cell phones.

Whether producers are in the field, on a tractor or even on horseback, this service enables FSA customers and stakeholders to receive notifications while on the go. Producers will receive text messages regarding important program deadlines, reporting requirements, outreach events and updates.

Producers can text VABotetourt to FSANOW (372-669) to subscribe to text message alerts from Botetourt/Craig/Roanoke County. Standard text messaging rates apply.  Contact your wireless carrier for details associated with your particular data plan. Participants may unsubscribe at any time. The county office cannot subscribe for a producer. The producer must complete the text subscription to FSANOW if interested

The county office will be sending important text messages on an as-needed basis only.  Producers signing up for this service will receive a maximum of two text messages a month.  If there are no important deadlines for the month, there will be no text messages sent for that particular month.

Contact the local FSA office at 977-2698, Ext. 2 if you have questions regarding FSA’s email news service or the new text message option.