WASHINGTON, US, DC — The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) has selected four new members for the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) board of directors.

The four new appointees will serve four-year terms starting in November.

“We appreciate the willingness of these four new board members to serve on behalf of American farmers and ranchers,” said Martin Barbre, administrator for the RMA. “We look forward to working with them in managing the federal crop insurance program.”

The FCIC board oversees the federal crop insurance program, managed by the RMA. The Federal Crop Insurance Act requires that non-USDA FCIC board members represent core groups involved in managing farm risk. This includes four producers, at least one of whom is a specialty crop producer; one individual involved in insurance (often an agent); and one individual knowledgeable about reinsurance or regulation. The act also requires that the four producer board members come from diverse geographic areas and represent a cross-section of agricultural commodities.

Nicole Berg is a specialty crop producer from Washington state and partner and chief financial officer of Lenzie Ranch, Inc./Berg Farms, LLC/The Berg Partnership. Berg holds and has held numerous leadership positions. She currently is vice president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and a board member of the Community First Bank.

“NAWG is excited to announce that FCIC has accepted its nomination of NAWG vice president Nicole Berg to its board,” said Dave Milligan, president of NAWG. “Berg’s background as a producer and knowledge gained from her experience as part of NAWG’s leadership make her an invaluable addition to the FCIC board of directors. Further, NAWG is pleased that Nicole will be part of such an important panel that is instrumental in helping to shape crop insurance policy. This announcement is good news for farmers across the country.”

Other appointees include, Kenneth Selzer, Scott Silveus and Pat Swanson.

Selzer is an insurance executive and former Kansas insurance commissioner who currently serves as an executive managing director at a worldwide reinsurance broker. Selzer has held many leadership positions in both the public and private sectors and in the community. He has earned several professional credentials, including CPA, CPCU, ARe and FLMI and holds several insurance licenses.

Silveus has been a crop insurance agent with Silveus Insurance Group, Inc. for 30 years in Indiana. During that time, Silveus has worked with producers from around the country, including apple growers in Michigan, rice growers in Arkansas, wheat growers in Kansas and cotton growers in Texas. Silveus has collaborated with the RMA for years and has helped develop many federal and private crop insurance products, including PRF, Margin Protection, ARP and Price Flex.

Swanson farms with her husband Don and his family in Iowa as a partner of Swanson Farm Partnership, a soybean, corn and cow-calf farming operation. Swanson has worked as a crop insurance agent since 2005 and co-owns Son Risk Management crop insurance agency. Swanson also is a state committee member on the Iowa Farm Service Agency, District 9 director for the Iowa Soybean Association, American Soybean Association Advocacy Communications team member and Wapello County 4-H Foundation Board secretary.