SYRACUSE, NY — The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) recently announced appointees to serve on the New York USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state committee.

Members of the FSA state committee are appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and, in support of the Trump Administration’s Farmers First commitment, members of the FSA state committee are responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving program delivery appeals from the agriculture community, maintaining cooperative relations with industry stakeholders and keeping producers informed about current FSA programs, the USDA said.   

Each FSA state committee is composed of three to five members, including a designated chairperson. The individuals appointed to serve on this committee for New York are Lawrence K. Eckhardt, chair, owner and manager of an agricultural operation that produces sweet corn, grain corn, hay, small grains, vegetables, and beef cattle; Ryan Timothy Fessenden, member, a seventh‑generation farmer and, since 2021, owner and operator of Lake Road Vineyards; Barbara J. Hanselman, member, owner and manager of a dairy farm that includes a registered Holstein and brown Swiss dairy herd; Brenden L. Martin, member, a fourth-generation dairy farmer who manages a 120-cow operation established in 1997; and Joseph P. Shultz, member, owner and operator of a registered Holstein dairy operation who has served as president and vice president of the Lewis County Farm Bureau.   

FSA’s stated mission is to help America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit here.