The USDA Fills Key Positions at NRCS, FSA and RMA
The USDA announced presidential appointments to the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area, which houses the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Risk Management Agency (RMA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said these appointees will help ensure that support gets to farmers and ranchers. Strong leadership in FPAC will generate real results and less red tape.
Aubrey Bettencourt will serve as the Chief of the NCRS. She was recently the Global Director of Government Relations and External Affairs for Netafim. Previous experience includes being President and CEO of the Almond Alliance and Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Interior in the first Trump Administration.
Colton Buckley becomes Chief of Staff for NCRS. He recently served as CEO of the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils. Governor Rick Perry had previously appointed Colton to the Texas A&M University Board of Regents. He was on the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture’s Advisory Council and served as a member of the Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas Board of Directors.
Bill Beam will be the new FSA Administrator. He owns and operates Beam Farms Inc. in Pennsylvania with his family. The farm raises corn, soybeans, wheat and hay, in addition to a sawdust and wood shavings business. Beam previously served on the Pennsylvania Soybean Board, United Soybean Board, United States Soybean Export Council, Rural Investment to Protect our Environment and Tel Hai Board. He was the Deputy Administrator of Farm Programs for FSA in the first Trump Administration.
Pat Swanson is now the Administrator of the Risk Management Agency. Pat served as Director for the American Soybean Association and on the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board. She and her husband have experience running a crop insurance agency in southeastern Iowa. Pat and her family run a seventh-generation farm near Ottumawa, Iowa, that raises soybeans and corn, along with a cow-calf operation.