As the National Communications Manager for the Farm Credit Council, Jennifer Armbruster is responsible for the daily management of Farm Credit’s award-winning national social media platforms and website. She also assists in content planning, implementation and process improvement. Before joining Farm Credit in 2012, Jennifer served for nearly a decade as the Communications Manager at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.          

Jennifer is a Colorado native and holds a bachelor’s degree in Technical Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations from Colorado State University.

Paul Dietmann is Emerging Markets Specialist with Badgerland Financial, the Farm Credit System association that serves southern Wisconsin.  Paul leads Badgerland Financial’s beginning farmer program and its Emerging Markets Loan Program, which provides loans to farmers who are marketing their products direct to consumers. Prior to joining the staff at Badgerland, Paul spent 16 years with the State of Wisconsin; eleven years as a county agriculture agent with the University of Wisconsin-Extension and five years as director of the Wisconsin Farm Center, which is the farmers’ assistance program in the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).  He served as Wisconsin’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture in 2010.  He is co-author of the book "Fearless Farm Finances: Farm Financial Management Demystified".  

Benjamin P. Duncanson is the Director of Policy Analysis & Development at the Farm Credit Council. He grew up on a third generation family farm in southern Minnesota, in a small town called Mapleton.  He received his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Luther College in Decorah, IA in 2011. He then received his M.A. in International Economics from the School of International Service at American University in Washington D.C. in 2014. Ben has been working for the Farm Credit Council for the last year where he and Senior Vice President John Hays have done extensive research on farm demographics and structure using the 2012 Ag Census data. Some of this research has included looking at what the census data has shown about the growth of young and beginning farms as well as diversity within US agriculture. Ben currently resides in Washington D.C., where he is continuing his research on US farm demographics as well as research on Farm Credit finances. He also post on the Farm Credit Council’s agrophile blog. 

As Farm Credit Mid-America’s Growing Forward Specialist in Area 2, Peyton is responsible for establishing relationships, providing education and outreach, and monitoring credit quality in the Young, Beginning and Small Farmer market segment throughout Tennessee and Kentucky.

Peyton is a native of Tipton County, Tennessee and grew up on a diversified family farming operation. She is a member of the National Agri-Marketing Association, Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers and the Tennessee FFA Alumni.

Peyton received her B.S. in Agriculture and Resource Economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2014. She and her husband, Jeremy, own and operate a diversified livestock operation raising registered beef cattle and sheep in West Tennessee.

Jon Hegeman is a commercial greenhouse grower from Alabama. Jon is currently serves as the American Farm Bureau YF&R chairman.  He is very involved with the Alabama Farmers’ Federation on the state and county level. Jon has been on the state YF&R committee for the past four years, and in 2013, served as both its chair and on ALFA’s state board of directors. He also sits on his county board of directors, has served as county YF&R chair for four years, and completed the Alabama Leaders Program. Jon serves on several ALFA commodity committees, and in 2012, he and his wife Amy were awarded the Outstanding Young Farm Family for Alabama.

Janie Simms Hipp, J.D., LL.M. (Chickasaw) is Founding Director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University Of Arkansas School Of Law.  Ms. Hipp is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.  Ms. Hipp served in the Obama Administration as the Senior Advisor for Tribal Relations to Secretary Tom Vilsack and as founding Director of the Office of Tribal Relations in the Office of the Secretary.  She previously served in the Bush administration within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA) as the National Program Leader for Farm Financial Management, Risk Management Education, Trade Adjustment Assistance, and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program and within USDA Risk Management Agency as national Risk Management Education Director.  She is a graduate of University of Oklahoma, received her J.D. at Oklahoma City University, and her LL.M. in Agriculture and Food Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law.  She has been a licensed attorney in Oklahoma for over 30 years and specializes in food and agriculture law and Indian law.  She was honored in 2014 by the University of Arkansas Alumni Association as one of three Distinguished Alumni of the University of Arkansas and by the American Agricultural Law Association as a Distinguished Agricultural Law Professional.  

Dr. Becca Jablonski is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University. Her research and extension efforts focus on evaluating rural/regional economic development initiatives and policies, with an emphasis on identifying strategies to improve agribusiness performance and enhance regional food systems. Utilizing interdisciplinary qualitative and quantitative methods, she is particularly interested in assessing the impacts of alternative food system initiatives and strengthened rural-urban linkages to farmers, supply chain participants, and rural economies.

Brittany Jablonsky is the director of national contributions and stakeholder relationships at The Farm Credit Council. In this position she manages the Farm Credit System’s National Contributions Program, which distributes funds in support of organizations and activities that help ensure a vibrant, economically thriving rural America, today and for generations to come.

Jablonsky joined the Council from the staff of Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, where as a legislative assistant she supported the Senator’s work on the Agriculture Committee. Previously, Jablonsky held several positions with National Farmers Union, most recently as director of communications. In that capacity she spearheaded the organization’s communications to its members and policymakers and served as a liaison to the media. She was also a government relations representative for NFU and enjoyed a brief role as NFU’s education director.

Jablonsky holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Minnesota, Morris in English and sociology and grew up on a family farm in North Dakota. She resides on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Scott Marlow is the Executive Director of the Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA, a non-profit organization based in Pittsboro, NC. Scott previously directed RAFI's Farm Sustainability program, providing in-depth financial counseling to farmers in crisis, education on disaster assistance programs and access to credit, and addressing the needs of mid-scale farmers who are increasing the sustainability of their farms by transitioning to higher-value specialty markets. Scott's specialty is financial infrastructure, including access to credit and risk management for value-added producers. He has served on the steering committee of the National Task Force to Renew Agriculture of the Middle, the Organization Council of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the Board of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, the Board of the NC Farm Transition Network, and serves on the NC Agricultural Advancement Consortium and the Advisory Committee of the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. He has a Masters Degree in Crop Science from NC State University, and a BA in Political Science from Duke University.

Quint Pottinger is a farmer from New Haven, Kentucky where he grows 1200 acres of corn and soybeans. In addition to the farm he also operates a Precision Planting dealership.  He is a member of the Kentucky Soybean Association board serving in an educational capacity and was recently appointed to represent Kentucky on the Unites States Soybean Export Council. Quint is also a board member on the Kentucky FFA Foundation and serves on the Corn Farmers Coalition. His affection for bourbon has led to developing working relationships with local distilleries to sell corn. In his free time he enjoys spending nights out dancing with his wife, Leah, or relaxing by a fire sipping bourbon. 

James F. (Jim) Radintz is the Acting Deputy Administrator for Farm Loan Programs in the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).  He is responsible for the direct and guaranteed lending programs at FSA, including annual commitments of $5 billion in new loans and loan guarantees and management of a $21 billion loan portfolio.

Mr. Radintz grew up on a family farm in Iredell County, North Carolina.  He received a B.S. in agriculture from NC State, an MBA in finance from Virginia Tech, and is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard University.  Mr. Radintz’s 35-year federal career includes service in field offices, and as Senior Loan Officer, Branch Chief, Director of Loan Making, and Assistant Deputy Administrator at FSA Headquarters.

Raechel Sattazahn is the knowledge center director with AgChoice Farm Credit, Pennsylvania’s largest agricultural lender that serves 9,800 customer-owners located throughout central, western and northern Pennsylvania. At AgChoice, Raechel is responsible for the Association’s customer education efforts and programs for young or beginning and small farmers. Prior to her role as knowledge center director, Raechel worked in marketing with AgChoice for more than five years.

Raechel and her husband, Doug, own and operate Zahncroft Dairy, LLC with Doug’s brother and sister-in-law in Womelsdorf, Pa. The dairy consists of 100 registered Brown Swiss and Holstein cows. Raechel is also part of her family’s farm operation, McCalls Ferry Farm, LLC, in Airville, Pa. that sells retail beef.

Raechel graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Animal Sciences and a minor in Agribusiness Management. She also holds a MBA in Food and Agribusiness from Delaware Valley College. 

Mr. Tonsager also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation, which is responsible for ensuring the timely payment of principal and interest on obligations issued on behalf of FCS banks.

Mr. Tonsager served as Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2009 to 2013. In this position, he expanded broadband communication in rural America and implemented other key elements of the Recovery Act for rural America. He dramatically expanded USDA's water and wastewater programs, expanded funding for first- and second-generation biofuels, and funded hospitals and other public facilities in rural America. In addition, Mr. Tonsager worked with the Farm Credit System and others to bring on line new venture capital investment funds. While at USDA, he was a member of the Commodity Credit Corporation Board of Directors from 2010 to 2013.

Previously, Mr. Tonsager served as a member of the FCA Board from 2004 to 2009, when he also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. From 2002 to 2004, he was the executive director of the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Development Center.

Mr. Tonsager brings to his position on the FCA Board extensive experience as an agriculture leader and producer, and a commitment to promoting and implementing innovative development strategies to benefit rural residents and their communities. As executive director of the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Development Center in Huron from 2002 until his first appointment to the FCA Board in 2004, he coordinated initiatives to better serve producers interested in developing value-added agricultural projects. Services provided by the center include project facilitation, feasibility studies, business planning, market assessment, technical assistance, and education.

In 1993, he was selected by President William J. Clinton to serve as the State director in South Dakota for rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mr. Tonsager oversaw a diversified portfolio of housing, business, and infrastructure loans in South Dakota.

A long-time member of the South Dakota Farmers Union, Mr. Tonsager served two terms as president of the organization from 1988 to 1993. He served on the board of National Farmers Union Insurance from 1989 to 1993, and he was a member of the advisory board of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 1990 to 1993.

From 1988 to 1993, Mr. Tonsager was a board member of Green Thumb, Inc., a nationwide job training program for senior citizens.

Mr. Tonsager grew up on a dairy farm near Oldham, South Dakota. In partnership with his brother, he owns Plainview Farm in Oldham, a family farming operation that includes corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay. Mr. Tonsager is a graduate of