South Dakota native Dallas Tonsager has been appointed by President Obama as the new Chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration. His term expires in 2020. Tonsager is coming aboard at a challenging time given the low status of farm commodity prices.
He says there are several ways the Farm Credit Administration can help ag producers in weathering the tough economic challenges they’re facing.
Tonsager says the best thing farmers and ranchers can do to overcome economic challenges is to work with trusted lenders and get good counsel on how to proceed.
Prior to the Farm Credit Administration appointment Tonsager was USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development and also served as South Dakota’s Director of Rural Development from 1993 to 2001. He was the South Dakota Farmers Union President from 1988 to 1993. Most recently he was board chairman of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.
