Fresh Support: USDA's Specialty Crop Focus

Specialty crop producers have long powered California’s agricultural economy, but their diversity, perishability and market structures make it uniquely challenging to design one-size-fits-all federal programs. In this timely session, senior leaders from USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service will highlight how they’re adapting disaster assistance, conservation tools and crop insurance to better meet the realities of fruit, vegetable, nut, nursery and vine crop operations. This session brings producers face-to-face with the officials working to ensure these programs deliver when and where they’re needed most.

Speakers:

Bill Beam, Administrator, Farm Service Agency

Shannon Douglass, President, California Farm Bureau

Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt, Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service

Patricia Swanson, Administrator, USDA Risk Management Agency

---

Speaker Details

Bill Beam

William “Bill” Beam was sworn in as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator on March 24, 2025. In this role, Beam provides leadership for USDA, the Farm Production and Conservation Mission area, FSA and the collective mission to support agricultural production across America through a nationwide network of county and state offices.

Through Beam’s guidance and oversight, FSA administers policies and procedures that ensure the efficient and effective delivery of federal farm programs outlined in the farm bill including programs that help America’s farmers, ranchers and private lands foresters manage market risks, recover from natural disasters, protect natural resources, and access credit and capital.

Beam previously served as the USDA FSA Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs from 2018 to 2021. He has also been active in the agriculture industry as an appointed member of the United Soybean Board; a role for which Beam traveled internationally promoting U.S. soybeans and export markets. He also served on the United States Soybean Export Council and held leadership positions with the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.

Prior to his appointment as FSA Administrator, Beam was the president and owner/operator of Beam Farms, Inc., a fourth-generation row crop, specialty crop and hay operation in Elverson, Pennsylvania. Beam’s son Matt now operates Beam Farms, Inc. where he raises corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and cattle and oversees the sawdust/wood shavings business. Beam’s sons, Shawn and Dylan also work in the agriculture industry.

Shannon Douglass

Shannon Douglass was elected president of the California Farm Bureau in December 2023, having previously served three terms as first vice president.

Douglass has served as director of the Glenn County Farm Bureau and as chair of the CAFB Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) State Committee. She is a graduate of the Leadership Farm Bureau program and participated in the American Farm Bureau Federation Partners in Advocacy Leadership program. She won the California YF&R Discussion Meet in 2007 and is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.

Douglass is a proud alumna of the East Nicolaus FFA Chapter. Her deep-rooted commitment to agricultural education continues today, as a member of the California FFA Foundation Board of Directors, an advisory committee member for Hamilton City FFA and an FFA mom.

Her Farm Bureau service has also included numerous Farm Bureau committees at the state and national levels.

She is an owner of Douglass Ranch, which raises beef cattle, walnuts, sunflowers, pumpkins, corn, and forage crops in Orland. Additionally, she co-founded CalAgJobs, an online listing of employment opportunities in California agriculture.

Douglass serves on the Glenn County Fair Board of Directors and is a former director of the Glenn County Resource Conservation District.

Her previous experience includes serving as a consultant on ag career awareness and talent recruitment, and lecturing on agricultural topics at both Butte College and California State University, Chico.

Douglass earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a master’s degree focused on agricultural policy, each from CSU Chico.

Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt

Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt serves as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the primary private lands conservation agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). NRCS helps producers, soil and water conservation districts, and other partners protect and conserve natural resources on private working lands while supporting American agricultural productivity throughout the United States. NRCS employees in the field work side-by-side with producers in every State and territory. 

Aubrey is a prominent leader in agriculture, water, and sustainability, most recently serving as the Global Director of Government Relations and External Affairs for Netafim, an Orbia Company. Prior to serving at Netafim, Aubrey was the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Almond Alliance, the national trade association advocating for American almond growers and processors.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Aubrey served as the Sustainability Director for Western United Dairies, specifically leading initiatives in groundwater management. During the first Trump Administration, Aubrey worked with both the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and USDA. As a Deputy Assistant Secretary with the DOI, she oversaw water and science policy.

Prior to serving at DOI, Aubrey was the State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in California where she directed the administration of farm commodity programs providing support, security, and emergency relief for producers throughout the state.

Her work reflects her personal commitment to keep farmers farming through sound water policy, agricultural support, technology, and sustainable practices. This is supported by her family’s farming roots in California’s great Central Valley.

Aubrey is a third-generation farmer at Bettencourt Farms in Kings County, California, alongside her father, mother, husband, daughter, and loyal farm dogs. Aubrey is an Eisenhower Agricultural Fellow and holds a degree in History from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.

Patricia Swanson

Pat Swanson was appointed administrator of the USDA Risk Management Agency in March 2025 by the Trump administration, after recently serving as a member of the USDA’s Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board (FCIC). She oversees the delivery of federal crop insurance and risk management tools that serve as a foundation for farmer financial stability and long-term resiliency.

Swanson brings more than two decades of experience in agriculture risk management. She co-owned and operated Son Risk Management from 2002 to 2025, where she specialized in crop insurance solutions for producers across southeastern Iowa. Her family also owns and operates a seventh-generation farm near Ottumwa, Iowa, raising corn, soybeans, and cattle.

Her public service includes leadership on the Iowa Farm Service Agency State Committee, as well as her time on the FCIC board of directors. She also worked in the private sector as a software engineer before returning to the farm.

Swanson supports rural development and youth leadership through volunteer service. She represented southeast Iowa as a director with the Iowa Soybean Association and served on the American Soybean Association board. She also serves as secretary for the Wapello County 4-H Foundation and participates in outreach through Iowa 4-H and CommonGround Iowa.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Iowa State University.

Swanson and her husband, Don, along with their family live and farm near Ottumwa, Iowa, and are deeply connected to their community and agricultural roots.