South Dakota Ag Connection - South Dakotans Appointed to FSA State Committee

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South Dakotans Appointed to FSA State Committee
South Dakota Ag Connection - 02/08/2010

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota announced that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed five South Dakotans Johnson recommended for positions on the Farm Service Agency State Committee. Although Johnson recommended the candidates for appointments in the state, it is ultimately the Secretary's responsibility to appoint a candidate.

"Our state will be extremely well served by the appointments of these five candidates," said Johnson. "I recommended these candidates to Secretary Vilsack because of their strong agricultural backgrounds, and I know their experience will serve them well as they address the needs of our agriculture community in their new roles," Johnson said.

State Farm Service Agencies have a number of important responsibilities that impact the success of programs in agricultural communities. They are responsible for supervising agricultural programs and keeping impacted farmers and ranchers in the state informed. Members of the committee are also entrusted with managing appeals and complaints.

The following Johnson-recommended candidates were appointed today by Secretary Vilsack:

Larry Birgen: Birgen, who farms near Beresford, S.D., has served as the Vice President of the South Dakota Farmers Union since 2006. He is a former Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service/Farm Service Agency field reporter and served as the Clay-Union Electric Director from 1993 to 2000. Birgen has been the Farmers Co-op Elevator director since 2001 and currently serves as board president. In addition, Birgen has served as Director of the Farmers Union Industries since 2002, and is the founding director of Midwest-Biodiesel located in Alexandria, S.D. He and his wife Kathy have two children.

Jim Burg: Burg, of Wessington Springs, served as the South Dakota Public Utilities commissioner 1987 thru 2004. He served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1975 to 1984 and later in the South Dakota Senate 1984 to 1986. Burg, a former mayor of Wessington Springs, is a member of the board of directors of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association and the South Dakota 4-H Foundation. A South Dakota State University graduate, he served in the South Dakota National Guard for 27 years before retiring in 1989 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Burg and his wife Bernice, have five children and seven grandchildren.

Bill Chase: Chase, from Wolsey, served on the South Dakota Corn Growers Association Board from 2001 to the present, and was recently elected as the board's president in 2008. Chase was raised on a farm and began farming himself in 1976. Currently his operation consists of corn, soybeans, and wheat; he also maintains a cow/calf operation.

Joyce Jobgen: Jobgen has served as the national treasurer of the American Agriculture Movement for 21 years and is currently the secretary and treasurer. She has been active in various community organizations including serving eight years as clerk of her township and is a former member of the town election board. Jobgen also consulted farmers and ranchers for over 15 years and has testified before Congress and the South Dakota state legislature on agriculture issues. She and her husband Donald have four sons, eleven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

Craig Severtson: Craig Severtson, raised in Flandreau, has been an active rancher and farmer in the Flandreau area for nearly 30 years. Severtson, a University of South Dakota graduate, serves as a 4-H Club member and was a 4-H leader for several years. He is a member of the East Central Cattleman's Association and served as Senator Tim Johnson's agriculture Field Representative from 1987 through 1993 while in the House of Representatives. In addition, his agriculture organization involvement includes Dakota Rural Action and Farmers Union. Severtson and his wife Joan have two sons.