Joe Martin was appointed by the Trump Administration to serve as the state executive director of the Minnesota Farm Service Agency (FSA) in November 2017.
Martin grew up on a diversified crop, livestock and horticulture farm in Benton County, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a minor in political science.
Over the course of his career, he has served as the director of government relations for Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, director of congressional relations for American Farm Bureau Federation, assistant commissioner of Minnesota Department of Agriculture, executive director of Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association and the communications manager for DuPont Pioneer’s Northern Business Unit. Martin also worked as a private consultant on a variety of agricultural issues and projects, ranging from sustainability to workforce development.
Martin led a bovine tuberculosis eradication effort in Minnesota and in 2012, was named one of Cattle Business Weekly’s top 10 industry leaders under the age of 40. He has also served on a variety of Minnesota leadership boards, including the Rural Finance Authority, Board of Water and Soil Resources and the Clean Water Council.
Martin currently runs a small cattle operation and resides in LeSueur County with his wife, Staci, and two daughters, Julianna and Madelyn.