By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent PEORIA, Ill. — Two Illinoisans with strong agriculture backgrounds were named state Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD) directors by President Donald Trump, through the USDA late on Nov. 3. “(FSA and RD directors) are the initial points of contact for millions of our USDA customers,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. “Our goal is to help rural America prosper, and these state leaders will be of great assistance in that task.” Illinois’ new FSA director comes with plenty of prior experience. William J. Graff was state executive director for the FSA from 2001-09. From the Springfield area, Graff is a real estate broker and farm podcaster who has owned Graff Land and Livestock, a grain and livestock farm in central Illinois with a purebred Simmental herd of 50 cows, since 1978. The Graff family has farmed the same land since 1824, according to his LinkedIn page. He is an Illinois State University alumni who studied agricultural production and animal science. He has owned Graff Land Services since 2009. Directors plan, organize and administer FSA programs in their home states. They also run day-to-day activities in the state FSA office, and are assigned to work to help improve the economy and quality of life for rural Americans. Douglas Wilson is the new RD state director. A third-generation farmer and lifelong resident of rural Illinois, he is a past state director. He has served in leadership roles in a variety of agricultural, community and not-for-profit organizations. He has owned and managed DA Farms near Gridley for 37 years. Wilson also works as an agribusiness investment advisor and research consultant for DA Wilson Farms Consulting, and was on the board of directors for the National Corn Growers Assoc. from 1995-2001, according to his LinkedIn profile. Both men previously served in these same roles under the George W. Bush administration. “We look forward to working with both Bill and Doug,” said Indiana Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. “With their past experience, they should hit the ground running.” Wilson inherits an Illinois RD office that has seen its workforce reduced from around 125 employees under the Obama administration to just over 80 under Trump, according to news sources. The reduction in staff is compounded by the hiring freeze that the administration imposed on USDA state offices as part of his pledge to reorganize the agency. Former RD State Director Colleen Callahan, who served in the role for eight years as an Obama appointee, told Farm World she was relieved that new directors were finally installed in Illinois’ and other states’ RD and FSA offices. The posts remained unfilled for the first 9.5 months of the Trump administration, leaving dozens of employees and 47 rural development programs without leadership in Illinois. “I’m so glad that it was finally done, not only for rural Illinoisans but because all of the 80 or so remaining staff need representation, too. There was no one there to speak on their behalf in Washington. I’m really happy the new directors are in place,” said Callahan. “The advantage Wilson will have going back into the position is that he has served for eight years, so he is familiar with those programs. The disadvantage is that he will inherit a smaller staff and a hiring freeze. You get to the point where it becomes difficult to deliver the programs with so few people throughout the state.” She is hopeful, however, that rural Illinoisans won’t see much of a drop-off in program quality and effectiveness due to the staff reductions and hiring freeze affecting the department. “It’s such a great staff. They really haven’t missed a beat. They are dedicated (and) they believe in the mission of rural development and in helping improve rural Illinois,” said Callahan, who farms in rural Peoria County with her husband and operates a business consulting firm. “However, you just can’t humanly get everything done that needs to be done in a timely manner if you don’t have the people to do it. There are a lot of vacant seats on the bus right now.” A phone call to a USDA press contact requesting interviews with the new Illinois directors was not returned by the agency by press time. |
