John Roberts, State Executive Director

John Roberts was appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Vermont in February 2022.

Roberts immigrated to Vermont from Great Britain in 1974 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in farm management.

He managed Shelburne Farms in Vermont until 1977 and then started his own dairy farm in Cornwall, Vermont, which was managed by his family until 2012. Roberts worked for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture as a water quality specialist for over six years and as the Executive Director of the Coalition, which he joined in 2020.

He continues to serve as a select board member for the town of Cornwall and was a delegate to the New England Dairy Promotion Board. Roberts also served terms on the Vermont Water Resources Board, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Board of the Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Brown Swiss Association, and as Chair of the Vermont USDA FSA State Committee.
Roberts also served in several state and national committee positions for the National Beef Promotion Board and the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative.

Roberts’ wife is a nurse and they have been married for 47 years. They have four children, all married, residing in various states across the country, with four grandchildren and another on the way. He enjoys bird watching, hiking, wood working, and photography.