Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Webinar Series: Natural Resources Conservation Service Programs

October 22: Getting Started with USDA

November 26: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Programs

Faith Hill is the USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher coordinator in Montana. Faith is a full-time civil engineer for NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) and a beginning producer. Together with her husband, Faith has a handful of commercial cattle and is trying to find her place in agriculture. As the state coordinator, Faith works with a team representing USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Risk Management Agency (RMA), Rural Development (RD), and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program offers technical assistance and helps to guide new farmers in navigating the many resources USDA has to offer by working with them one-on-one. The team also works with organizations that serve beginning farmers and ranchers. By collaborating with stakeholders and service providers, they increase awareness and understanding of USDA programs and are able to share stakeholder resources with beginning producers.

October 29: Farm Service Agency: Loans
November 12: Farm Service Agency: Programs

Lauren Zimmermann grew up raising Hereford cattle in central Illinois and has worked in various roles of seedstock cattle production since completing her Master of Science degree at Colorado State University. She came to work for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in 2020 and found her passion for assisting farmers and ranchers with the various programs that are available to help them succeed in their agricultural endeavors.

Lauren serves as a program analyst in the Park and Gallatin County FSA offices. Along with her program analyst duties, she holds the role of the FSA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Champion. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys riding her horses, spending time with her dogs, rafting, camping, and enjoying the great outdoors.

FSA delivers a myriad of USDA programs to all kinds of producers across the country. FSA offers support for natural disaster recovery, price support, conservation, urban agriculture, and loan opportunities.

November 19: Rural Development and Risk Management Agency

John Lockie is a native of eastern Montana. He is the fifth generation of his family involved in production agriculture – with one generation involved in the retail end as purveyors of the general store in Brussett and Jordan, Montana. John has worked as a farm broadcaster, a cattle industry executive, and for nearly 20 years, has been a risk management specialist for the Risk Management Agency.

John and his wife, Jana, have a small cow/calf and hay operation near Laurel, Montana. The sixth generation involved in agriculture – his son and daughter – are involved and diversifying the operation with external jobs or furthering their education at Montana State University.

November 19: Rural Development and Risk Management Agency

Marlee Johnston, ag producer state specialist, has been with Rural Development since 2019. Marlee’s primary role is assisting producers across Montana in accessing grant and loan funding. Montana has seen great success in the Value-Added Producer Grant, bringing over $8.5 million dollars to over 50 receipts in the last four cycles.