The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming,forestry,rural economic development,and food. It aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production,promotes agricultural trade and production,works to assure food safety,protects natural resources,fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the secretary of agriculture,who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack,who has served since February 24,2021.
Thomas James Vilsack is an American politician serving as the 32nd United States secretary of agriculture in the Biden administration. He previously served in the role from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as the 40th governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007.
Clarence Saxby Chambliss is an American lawyer and retired politician who was a United States Senator from Georgia from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party,he previously served as a U.S. Representative from 1995 to 2003.
Charles Patrick Roberts is a retired American politician and journalist who served as a United States senator from Kansas from 1997 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party,Roberts served 8 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives,from 1981 to 1997,before his election to the Senate.
Michael Owen Johanns is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Nebraska from 2009 to 2015. He served as the 38th governor of Nebraska from 1999 until 2005,and was chair of the Midwestern Governors Association in 2002. In 2005,he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the secretary of agriculture,where he served from 2005 to 2007,becoming the fourth Nebraskan to hold that position.
The Committee on Agriculture,Nutrition,and Forestry is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of all matters relating to the nation's agriculture industry,farming programs,forestry and logging,and legislation relating to nutrition,home economics,and rural development.
William Thomas Hawks, known as Bill Hawks,is an American politician,former civil servant,agricultural businessman,and founder and CEO of AgWorks Solutions,LLC.
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is a non-profit organization in the United States with a mission to protect farmland,promote environmentally sound farming practices,and keep farmers on the land. AFT is staffed by farmers,policy experts,researchers,and scientists,and governed by a board of directors. Its headquarters are in Washington,D.C.,and it has regional offices throughout the country. AFT also runs the Farmland Information Center,an online collection of information on farmland and ranchland protection and stewardship established as a public-private partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002,also known as the 2002 Farm Bill,includes ten titles,addressing a great variety of issues related to agriculture,ecology,energy,trade,and nutrition. This act has been superseded by the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill.
Silvano Aureoles Conejo is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and former governor of Michoacán.
The Under Secretary for Research,Education,and Economics is a high-ranking official within the United States Department of Agriculture that provides leadership and oversight for the Agricultural Research Service,National Institute of Food and Agriculture,Economic Research Service,National Agricultural Library,National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The United States deputy secretary of agriculture is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture,appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The deputy secretary becomes acting secretary of agriculture in the event of the Secretary's resignation,death,or otherwise inability to fulfill the duties of the position. The deputy secretary performs whatever duties are prescribed to him or her by the secretary of agriculture. The deputy secretary of agriculture is paid at level II of the Executive Schedule.
The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is a trade association based in Washington,D.C. It represents the corn refining industry in the United States. Corn refining encompasses the production of corn starch,corn oil,and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Jonathan William Coppess was the administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the Department of Agriculture,and was appointed on July 9,2009 by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The Chief Agricultural Negotiator is an ambassador of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) responsible for conducting and overseeing international negotiations related to trade in agricultural products. The Chief Agricultural Negotiator is compensated at the rate payable for Level III of the Executive Schedule.
Charles J. "Joe" O'Mara was president of O'Mara and Associates,a consulting firm. He was a member of the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Heath Price Tarbert is an American lawyer and former government official who most recently served as the 14th Chairman and a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Prior to leading the CFTC,he served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Markets and Development and as acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. As of July 1,2023,he is Chief Legal Officer and Head of Corporate Affairs for Circle.
Gregory Doud is an American economist and government official who served as the Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) during the Trump Administration. Doud previously served as the president of the Commodity Markets Council. He also served as a staff member for the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture,Nutrition and Forestry and as chief economist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
Brian Baenig is an American government official who served as Chief of Staff for Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack from 2013 to 2015.
John R. Norton III was an American farmer and politician who served as United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture in the Reagan Administration.
