Gene Schriefer, State Executive Director

Gene Schriefer was appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Wisconsin in November 2021.

Prior to his appointment, Schriefer served as a Senior Outreach Specialist with the University of Wisconsin – Madison Extension Division. He worked as an Agriculture Educator in Iowa County since 2009 and engaged with farmers on sustainability, soil health, regenerative agriculture, regional food systems, and climate change. Schriefer was a Regional Grazing Specialist with Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development and served as an Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent in Rusk and Columbia Counties.

Schriefer and his wife operate a grass finished beef operation in southwest Wisconsin and raise a flock of grazing sheep.

He has been a member of the Wisconsin Meadows Grassfed Cooperative for 15 years and previously served on the board of directors where he focused on product marketing. He is a long-time member and past director for Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP) Concerned Sheep Breeders Society, which focuses on sheep health and the effects of OPP. For 25 years, Schriefer has been a member of GrassWorks, Wisconsin’s State Grazing Association.

Schriefer earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University in ag education and farm management. He also attended the Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School and Ranching for Profit School.

Schriefer and his wife, Ruth, reside in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Ruth is a professor with University of Wisconsin – Madison and is currently serving as the Department of Extension Faculty Chair. Their son, Haakon, is a senior at University of Wisconsin – Madison. In his spare time, Schriefer enjoys cooking, hiking, canoeing, cross country skiing, and woodworking.