Farmer and rancher brings years of Farm Bill policy experience to The Habitat Organization
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are pleased to announce the appointment of Lynn Tjeerdsma to its National Board of Directors. Hailing from Gulf Shores, Alabama, while maintaining close ties to his farming and ranching upbringing in the northern Great Plains, Tjeerdsma joins the 16-member board which meets quarterly and oversees the operations of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.
“Never before has The Habitat Organization elected a board member with as much Farm Bill policy experience as Lynn Tjeerdsma brings to the table,” said Marilyn Vetter, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “As an upland hunter, farmer and rancher, agriculture policy specialist, and experienced leader in the world of conservation non-profits, Lynn is a welcomed addition to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s National Board of Directors.”
Tjeerdsma started his career in agriculture as a farm and ranch operator on 1,800 acres in South Dakota before his hiring as Moody County executive director (CED) for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS), which is now the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA).
In March of 1989, he moved to Washington, D.C. to become the agricultural legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Larry Pressler to assist with drafting the 1990 Farm Bill, later serving as the CED of the Cass County, Nebraska, FSA office from 1993 to 1995.
Tjeerdsma spent a total of 30 years in Washington D.C. to assist drafting four Farm Bills in the U.S. Senate and administering two Farm Bills while serving as FSA Branch Chief at USDA. He spent two years as policy initiatives manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in 2005 before working for U.S. Senator John Thune starting in 2006 as an agriculture and alternative energy legislative assistant. He served five years as his senior policy advisor before retiring in September of 2019.
During retirement, Tjeerdsma led two Farm Bill recommendation projects for the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation in 2023 and 2024 including “Preserving, restoring and enhancing wetlands through the Farm Bill” and “Strengthening conservation and sustainable agriculture practices in the Farm Bill.” He continues to write a weekly column in the South Dakota Platte Enterprise, “What’s Happening in Washington.” He also serves on the Policy Committee of the AGree Coalition, which strives to create data-driven policies that advance farmer profitability and positive environmental outcomes.
“For more than two decades I have personally worked with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever as a farmer seeking advice for installing conservation practices, as a USDA Deputy Administrator implementing conservation programs and when helping draft farm bill conservation policy in the U.S. Senate. I look forward continuing this works as a board member for one of the premier conservation and wildlife organizations in the country.”
Tjeerdsma closely manages his 480-acre farm in south-central South Dakota, part of which was homesteaded by his great-great-grandfather in 1883. Multiple conservation practices are utilized on this operation including through the federal Conservation Stewardship Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, and under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, including cover crops, no-till or minimum till and native seedings. He is married and has five children and 12 grandchildren.