Rollins announces key FPAC, NIFA appointments
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins today announced the appointments of the leaders of the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which are grouped under the Farm Production and Conservation mission area.
“FPAC is the most farmer-facing mission area at USDA, housing the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service — agencies producers rely on every day,” Rollins said in a news release.
“Following this week’s $10 billion economic assistance announcement, these appointees will help ensure that support gets to farmers and ranchers without bureaucratic delays,” Rollins said.
“Strong leadership in FPAC means real results, less red tape, and a USDA that works for those who feed, fuel and clothe America. I’m proud to welcome these new leaders who will champion our farmers and rural communities.”
In the announcement, Rollins noted that Brooke Appleton serves as the agriculture deputy undersecretary for farm production and conservation and that Andrew Fisher is the FPAC chief of staff. President Trump has nominated Richard Fordyce as the undersecretary for farm production and conservation, but he has not yet had a Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing.
Farm Service Agency
Bill Beam will serve as the administrator for the Farm Service Agency.
Beam is from Elverson, Pa., where he owns and operates Beam Farms Inc. with his family. In addition to growing corn, soybeans, wheat and hay, Beam Farms has a sawdust and wood shavings business that serves the wood industry and agriculture throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
Everson has served on various boards and committees including the Pennsylvania Soybean Board, United Soybean Board, United States Soybean Export Council, Rural Investment to Protect Our Environment and Tel Hai Board. Everson served as FSA deputy administrator of farm programs in the first Trump administration.
Risk Management Agency
Pat Swanson will serve as the administrator for the Risk Management Agency.
Swasnson and her family run a seventh-generation farm near Ottumwa, Iowa. They raise soybeans, corn, and have a cow-calf operation. With her husband, Don, Swanson has run a crop insurance agency that serves farmers in southeastern Iowa.
Most recently, Swason has served as a director for the American Soybean Association and completed her term on the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation board.
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Aubrey Bettencourt will serve as chief of the Natural Resource Conservation Service.
Her family’s farming roots are in Kings County, California. She most recently served as the global director of government relations and external affairs for Netafim, an Orbia Company.
She previously worked as president and CEO of the Almond Alliance and was Interior deputy assistant secretary in the first Trump administration.
She holds a degree in history from Westmont College.
Colton Buckley will serve as the chief of staff for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Buckley was raised on his grandparents’ cattle ranch in Gatesville, Texas. Most recently, he served as the CEO of the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils. Previously, he served on the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture’s Advisory Council, and the Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas board of directors, representing rural economic development.
He is an alumnus of Turning Point USA. Buckley holds a bachelor of science in agricultural services and development from Tarleton State University and a master of arts in communication from Liberty University.
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
On Thursday, Rollins announced the appointment of Jaye Hamby as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the agency that makes most agricultural research grants outside USDA.
Hamby succeeds Manjit Misra, who was appointed to the position by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in April 2023.
“Dr. Hamby’s deep-rooted experience in agriculture — from hands-on work in farming to decades of leadership in research and innovation — makes him the ideal choice to lead NIFA,” Rollins said. “His commitment to advancing agricultural research, extension, and education will help drive solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges and ensure the continued strength and global competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.”
Hamby, a Tennessee native, grew up on his family’s cow-calf operation and participated in 4-H and FFA, eventually serving as a national FFA officer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from the University of Tennessee before completing his master’s and doctorate degrees in agricultural education at Oklahoma State University.
The Tennessee Farmers Cooperative said Hamby has been a contractor with its training department since 2021, working with member co-ops to develop strategic planning initiatives, conduct demographic studies, and provide customer experience training, among other projects.
The co-op added, “As president of his company, Agrilearn, Dr. Hamby has served as a primary consultant for several rebranding initiatives for major agricultural retailers and is often invited to lead strategic planning efforts for agribusiness organizations.”
“In early 2020, he designed the rollout of a producer segmentation model for a Top 5 agricultural entity. He has led strategic planning efforts for organizations of all sizes from small veterinary clinics to entities like the National Pork Board and Foremost Farms USA, and of course our co-ops.”
The co-op said Hamby lives with his wife, Patricia, on a small farm in College Grove, just south of Nashville.
According to his Linked-In page, Hamby established Agrilearn in 2008. Before that he worked for Boston Software as a vice president of sales and marketing, for Smith Fork Ventures as managing director, and the Transcender Corporation as director of organizational sales, all in Nashville, and earlier worked for the Agribusiness Group Inc. in Indianapolis.
