Lanon Baccam, a former assistant to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, was named as deputy agriculture undersecretary with responsibility for two agencies that deal directly with producers, the USDA announced. Baccam will oversee the Farm Service Agency, which runs crop subsidy programs and the Conservation Reserve, and the Risk Management Agency, which is in charge of the federally subsidized crop insurance program. An Iowan, Baccam is a military veteran and was a special assistant in the Foreign Agricultural Service and an executive assistant to Vilsack, as well as serving as director of scheduling for the secretary.