WASHINGTON — Aubrey Bettencourt, who championed a farmer-first approach to conservation programs, has exited the Trump administration as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Colton L. Buckley, who was serving as associate chief of the NRCS and was previously chief of staff, takes the helm as the youngest chief in history at the massive agency, which provides technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners across the U.S. conserve natural resources.
As of Monday afternoon there was no official explanation for Bettencourt’s departure. The USDA’s press office replied to questions with a statement that did not address the decision but outlined Buckley's appointment.
In a statement, Buckley said he was “deeply honored” to take the position.
“Our mission will be to empower America’s farmers and ranchers with the tools, flexibility, and support they need to steward our natural resources while strengthening family farming operations, rural economies, and ensuring our nation’s food security,” Buckley said. “We will focus on locally led, results-driven conservation that works hand-in-hand with producers — not against them. My top priority is keeping American working lands in American working hands.”
“Colton has consistently demonstrated the ability to connect policy and field implementation in a way that delivers real outcomes,” said USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce.
“He understands how to cut through bureaucracy and ensure programs work for producers. I am confident he will continue to lead NRCS with clarity, accountability, and a strong commitment to service.”
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) said it was grateful to Bettencourt and congratulated Buckley.
NACD credited Bettencourt for championing a “farmer-first vision” for the NRCS and said she, “recentered the agency's work around the needs of America's farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners.
“Her leadership affirmed the importance of voluntary, locally led conservation, a key tenet of the partnership between NRCS and America's nearly 3,000 conservation districts that are on the front lines of conservation delivery on working lands.”
"NACD thanks Chief Bettencourt for her service and her commitment to voluntary, locally led conservation," said NACD President Gary Blair. "We welcome Chief Buckley to this role and look forward to working alongside him and America's conservation districts to support producers and advance conservation across the country."
Bettencourt was global director of government relations and external affairs at Netafim when she was appointed to lead the NRCS, and she served as president and CEO of the Almond Alliance of California. Her LinkedIn profile still lists Bettencourt as principal at Phronesis Strategic since 2021, and she was an Eisenhower Agricultural Fellow in 2023.
Bettencourt appeared at a press conference at Commodity Classic last February. In an interview with No-Till Farmer, she explained what the agency’s vision is for regenerative agriculture and what the practice really encompasses.
“It’s multiple practices that are appropriate for that farm, that soil type, that climate, that cropping pattern, but that emphasizes soil health, water management and natural vitality,” Bettencourt said. “But that changes. The combination of those practices must be specific to the unique situation for every farmer.”
Bettencourt was most recently in Oklahoma to keynote the 75th annual National Range & Land Judging Contest. Oklahoma Farm Report said she was there to witness the state’s ongoing conservation efforts and engage with over 900 youth participants at the contest.
According to OFR, Bettencourt said the NRCS is operating with its largest baseline funding in history, which she said was vital to keeping the agency, “in sync with modern agricultural technology and producer needs.
“There’s this feeling of needing to catch up with industry ... making sure the agency is keeping up with where industry and where producers want to go,” Bettencourt said.
Ultimately, Bettencourt sees the NRCS’s success as a direct result of its presence in local communities, the report said. “It’s really a testament to that relationship that we have been one of the forward-most facing agencies of the federal government,” she said, concluding that the agency’s strength lies in empowering “those closest to the problem to have the tools they need to address it.”
Buckley, as associate chief, directed and oversaw the agency's financial and technical assistance programs, management and strategy, science and technology, and soil science and resource assessment deputy areas, in tandem with the partnerships division.
Before joining the Trump-Vance Administration, Colton was Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils, a national network of nonprofits that work to promote the conservation, development, and sustainable use of natural resources while improving economic conditions in rural America.
Earlier in his career, he was appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, served as an advisor to the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, and was a rural economic developer supporting agricultural enterprises and small communities.
Raised on his family’s cattle ranch outside Gatesville, Texas, and as a lifelong outdoorsman, his work reflects his personal commitment and passion as a firebrand for keeping America’s working lands in American working hands.
