USDA Appoints Three New FCIC Board of Directors Members

(Washington, D.C., February 12, 2026) - Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of three new members to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation(FCIC) Board of Directors, which oversees the Federal crop insurance program available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The FCIC Board of Directors provides guidance to USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) on the administration of the crop insurance program, ensuring that the program remains actuarially sound, fiscally responsible, and responsive to the evolving needs of America's farmers and ranchers.

"Crop insurance is a partnership between farmers, private industry, and the federal government," said RMA Administrator Pat Swanson, who manages the FCIC. "The board ensures that this partnership works as intended - protecting farmers and ranchers, safeguarding taxpayer dollars, and maintaining a strong dependable safety net for U.S. Agriculture."

Board members bring a diverse range of expertise and perspectives that help guide sound decision-making and innovation within the program. Their work supports farmer access to credit, encourages resilience at the farm level, and helps ensure that producers can recover from losses and continue producing food, feed, fiber, and fuel for the nation and the world.

The Federal Crop Insurance Act requires that non-USDA FCIC board members represent core groups involved in managing farm risk. The board includes representation from producers, insurance and reinsurance.

Tim Weber is the retired President of Great American Crop Insurance, one of the Approved Insurance Providers that deliver the Federal crop insurance program. He has 38 years of experience in the crop insurance industry, beginning his career as a field-level loss adjuster and working his way up to leadership roles at the national level. He has deep expertise in regulation, reinsurance, underwriting, technology, and field operations for crop insurance. He has a bachelor's degree from Northern State University and lives in Ohio.

Cara Riekhof is a partner in her family's diversified row-crop farm in Missouri. She is a crop insurance agent serving farmers in Kansas and Missouri for the last 16 years and is a former radio broadcaster in the ag sector. She has worked with the Missouri Young Farmers and Ranchers and has been a board member of the Lafayette County, Missouri Farm Bureau. She has a degree in Ag Journalism from the University of Missouri.

Brett Wightman has over 15 years of experience as an agricultural producer and crop insurance professional. He is a Virginia farmer, both dryland and irrigated row crops, as well as a cattle producer. He has extensive knowledge of crop insurance as a producer, crop insurance agent and as an agricultural risk consultant. He has previously served as the President of the Virginia Soybean Association and the Virginia Crop Production Association.

Tim Weber, Cara Riekhof and Brett Wightman will serve four-year terms beginning this month.

Crop Insurance is sold and delivered solely through private insurance agents. A list of insurance agents is available online using the RMA agent locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov.

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