FSA state committee appointed

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency announced the appointment of five leaders in agriculture to serve on the Illinois FSA state committee.

Members of the FSA state committee are appointed by Agriculture Secretary Brooke 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.

Each FSA state committee is comprised of three to five members, including a designated chairperson.

The individuals appointed to serve on this committee for Illinois are:

• George Obernagel III, chair, Waterloo — Obernagel owns and manages a large agricultural operation that includes acreage in Illinois, Nebraska and Arkansas. The operation produces purebred Angus cattle and diverse row crops. He previously served as a member of the Illinois FSA state committee during the first Trump administration.

• Alan Lyman, Cambridge — Lyman is president and general manager of a multigenerational family farm producing corn, soybeans and feeder cattle. He has held leadership roles in county, state and national agricultural organizations, including the Illinois Beef Association and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

• Cindy Myer, Lerna — Myer manages a grain crop operation and works with tenant farmers across multiple counties. Myer previously served as a member of the Illinois FSA state committee from 2001 through 2008.

• Frederick Nessler, Springfield — Nessler manages land in Illinois and Texas used for hay, grazing and row crops. He is the founder of Prairie Cross Christian Ministries and supports youth livestock education.

• Garry Niemeyer, Auburn — Niemeyer is a third-generation farmer in Sangamon County for over 50 years. Niemeyer is past president of Sangamon County Farm Bureau, where he served on the farm supply board. He is also a past president of the National Corn Growers Association.

“These individuals, selected by Secretary Rollins in partnership with key stakeholders in each state are held in high regard in the agriculture industry and are entrusted to ensure FSA programs are delivered in a manner consistent with federal farm policy and in the best interest of all agricultural producers in their state,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam.

“Their appointment to the FSA state committee is a testament to their standing in the industry and their dedication to the agriculture industry, rural America and President Trump’s ‘America First,’ ‘Farmers First’ policies.”

FSA helps 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.