USDA Names Trump Administration Appointees to the Washington Farm Service Agency State Committee

Spokane, Wash. - April 16, 2026 - The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced the appointment of five leaders in agriculture to serve on the Washington 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.

Each FSA state committee is comprised of three to five members including a designated chairperson. The individuals appointed to serve on this committee for Washington are:

• Debra Ausman, Chair (Clarkston) - Ausman brings more than 30 years of experience in agricultural lending, financial management, and risk management, including 15 years with Northwest Farm Credit Services and leadership roles in commercial and agricultural banking. She serves as Chief Financial Officer and Human Resource & Safety Manager for a commercial farming operation and has an extensive record of community and producer service committee and advisory board roles with Asotin County FSA Committee, Tri State Memorial Hospital, Twin County United Way, Leadership Idaho Agriculture, and multiple local organizations.

• Sam Krautscheid, Member (George) - Krautscheid is a fourth generation diversified agricultural producer, whose operation is comprised of conventional and certified organic systems. He has over 20 years of experience in soil health, irrigation, and sustainable practices, demonstrating his commitment to long-term land stewardship. He also has leadership experience in local agricultural organizations, including serving on his local FSA county committee and as former president of the Grant County Farm Bureau.

• Jason Lee, Member (Ridgefield) - Lee is an agricultural operator with lifelong experience in cattle and hay production, managing cow-calf and hay operations through his family farm and additional agricultural enterprises. He also serves as land manager for a regional property holding that includes contract grazing, forestry, and wetland mitigation activities, and brings more than 20 years of experience in the commercial and industrial petroleum sector. Lee's background includes leadership roles with the Washington Cattlemen's Association, the Washington Farm Bureau, and the Clark County Assessor Farm Advisory Committee.
  
  

• Julienne Loveall, Member (Coleville) - Loveall is an agricultural advocate with more than 35 years of experience supporting Washington's farming and dairy sectors through extensive board and committee service at the county, state, and national levels. She has served on the boards of Darigold, the Washington State Farm Bureau, the Stevens County Farm Bureau, and the Washington Dairy Products Commission, along with multiple water, stewardship, and conservation committees, consistently representing producer interests and advancing agricultural policy.

• Madelyne Vanderkooy, Member (Mt. Vernon) - Vanderkooy was raised on her family dairy farm in Skagit County and brings an agriculture rooted perspective to her work, supporting farm communities through program management, outreach, and mental health initiatives. She serves as Extension Coordinator and Program Manager for the Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Partnership and has extensive experience in multiagency collaboration, data driven program administration, and statewide and national agricultural mental health education.

"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. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.