Press Release: 1/14/2026

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

 



January 13, 2026



 



Amherst, Mass. – Jan. 13, 2026 - The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced the appointment of five leaders in agriculture to serve on the Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts are: 




  • Bradford N. Morse, Chair (Rochester) - Morse is a fifth-generation cranberry farmer who has owned and operated his farm since 1988.

  • Louis Aragi, Jr., Member (Shefield) – Aragi is co‑owner and operator of his farm where he manages the Holstein dairy cattle operation and farms over 1,500 acres. He oversees herd management and farming operations. 

  • Lisa A. Colby, Member (Newbury) – Colby has been involved in the agriculture and livestock industry for 27 years. She supports the farm’s year-round vegetable stand and hay operation. She previously co-owned and operated a diversified pork production business.

  • Leslie A. Hemmila, Member (Barnstable) – Hemmila is the owner and operator of a 7.25‑acre oyster farm that was established in 1991. She is the past president of the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association and is an active member of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau. 

  • Christopher M. Parsons, Member (Hadley) – Parsons is the farm manager where he oversees 500 acres as well as the pig and sheep operation in Hampshire County. He is president of the Hampshire County Farm Bureau and has been a board member since 2016. 



“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.