USDA Names Trump Administration Appointees to the Michigan Farm Service Agency State Committee

East Lansing, Mich. - April 16, 2026 - The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced the appointment of five leaders in agriculture to serve on the Michigan USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state committee.

Members of the FSA state committee are appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and, in support of the Trump Administration's Farmers First commitment, members of the FSA state committee are responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving program delivery appeals from the agriculture community, maintaining cooperative relations with industry stakeholders and keeping producers informed about current FSA programs.

Each FSA state committee is comprised of three to five members including a designated chairperson. The individuals appointed to serve on this committee for Michigan are:

• Douglas Darling, Chair (Maybee) - Darling is a lifelong ow crop farmer who raises corn, soybeans, and wheat, and has a custom harvesting business. With over 45 years of farming experience, Darling incorporates conservation and no-till practices and participates in multiple conservation programs, reflecting a long-term commitment to sustainable production agriculture.
• Dorance Amos, Member (Elk Rapids) - Amos is a fourth-generation fruit and row-crop producer who grows cherries, apples, plums, pears, wheat, corn, and soybeans across Grand Traverse and Antrim counties. Amos brings lifelong agricultural knowledge along with decades of involvement in farmland preservation and local rural leadership.
• Doug Bontekoe, Member (Marion) - Bontekoe is a third-generation dairy operator and farmer who has operated his family farm for more than two decades, managing herd operations, crop production, and seasonal labor. His experience includes implementing conservation programs while running a diversified livestock and crop operation.
• Daryl Coffey, Member (Hamilton) - Coffey is a longtime produce grower who has owned and operated his farm since the early 1980s. He oversees daily operations including harvesting, packing, and shipping. His vast experience in specialty crop production and earlier work in irrigation systems reflects a practical, field-based understanding of fruit and vegetable farming.
• Richard Gerstenberger, Member (Snover) - Gerstenberger is a second-generation farmer who grows a rotation of sugar beets, corn, soybeans, rye, and alfalfa. He also helps supply feed for a large dairy operation and has decades of experience in large-scale crop production, farm management, and cooperative leadership.

"These individuals, selected by Secretary Rollins in partnership with key stakeholders in each state, are held in high regard in the agriculture industry and are entrusted to ensure FSA programs are delivered in a manner consistent with federal farm policy and in the best interest of all agricultural producers in their state," said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. "Their appointment to the FSA state committee is a testament to their standing in the industry and their dedication to the agriculture industry, rural America and President Trump's America First, Farmers First policies."

FSA helps America's farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.