Five Indiana farmers have been appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to serve on the state committee of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), a panel that plays a central role in overseeing federal farm programs and resolving disputes from producers.
“We have a county committee system where the county committee members are elected by their peers in their county and they hear local county appeals,” explains Indiana FSA Executive Director Steve Brown. “And then now we have a state committee that’s appointed by the administration, and the state committee will hear appeals where they may not be able to be settled on the county level.”
Tipton County farmer Tom McKinney will serve as chair of the committee. Brown says McKinney previously served on this committee under the Bush administration.
“Bill Gelfius served under the first Trump administration and has a lot of experience,” says Brown. “And Tracy Clifford, she actually had worked for the Farm Service Agency in a county director role, state office position, and so she’s going to bring a lot of knowledge to our committee.”
Clifford operates a multigenerational row-crop farm in DeKalb County while Gelfius is a longtime producer in Bartholomew County.
Also on the committee is Ripley County cattle producer Tim Schwab who has served as president of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association and Vice Chair of Policy for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Brown says of Schwab, “He’s very, very well known within the cattle industry, so that brings a different aspect to us. And Kevin Underwood from up in the West Lafayette area has been involved in the Farm Bureau, also in county government in Tippecanoe County.”
Underwood was previously president of the Tippecanoe County Council.
In a statement, FSA Administrator Bill Beam said the appointees are “held in high regard” within the industry and will help ensure that federal farm programs are administered in a manner consistent with policy and responsive to producers’ needs.
