The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that 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. During his tenure,Iowa experienced a peak in new CAFO construction.
Ann Margaret Veneman is an American attorney who served as the fifth executive director of UNICEF from 2005 to 2010. She previously served as the 27th United States secretary of agriculture from 2001 to 2005. Veneman served for the entire first term of President George W. Bush,and she left to take the UNICEF position. Appointed by the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on January 18,2005,she took over the post on May 1,2005. A lawyer,Veneman has practiced law in Washington,DC and California,including being a deputy public defender. She has also served in other high-level positions in both the state and the federal government of the United States,including being appointed secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture,serving from 1995 to 1999,as well as United States deputy secretary of agriculture,serving from 1991 to 1993. Throughout her public career,Veneman was the first woman to serve in a number of positions,including secretary of agriculture,deputy secretary of agriculture,and California's secretary of food and agriculture. She was also just the second woman to lead UNICEF,following her predecessor,Carol Bellamy.
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III is an American politician who served as the 31st United States secretary of agriculture from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party,he previously served as the 81st governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011 and as a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1991 to 2002.
The Economic Research Service (ERS) is a component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States. It provides information and research on agriculture and economics.
The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries,and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Located in Beltsville,Maryland,it is one of five national libraries of the United States. It is also the coordinator for the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC),a national network of state land-grant institutions and coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) field libraries.
Edward Thomas Schafer is an American businessman and politician who served as the 30th governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000 and as the 29th United States secretary of agriculture from 2008 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. From January to July 2016 he served as interim president of the University of North Dakota.
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is the foreign affairs agency with primary responsibility for the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) overseas programs –market development,international trade agreements and negotiations,and the collection of statistics and market information. It also administers the USDA's export credit guarantee and food aid programs and helps increase income and food availability in developing nations by mobilizing expertise for agriculturally led economic growth. The FAS mission statement reads,"Linking U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security," and its motto is "Linking U.S. Agriculture to the World."
John Albert Knebel is a former United States government official who served as secretary of agriculture under President Gerald Ford.
The Under Secretary for Rural Development (USDA(RD)) is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture and principal advisor to the United States Secretary of Agriculture responsible for oversight of the department's rural development programs and policies.
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.
James Lee Reese is a farmer,businessman and politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Appointed by Republican Governor Mary Fallin as Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture,Reese was sworn into office on January 10,2011. He also acted as Fallin's chief advisor on policy development and implementation related to agriculture,food,and forestry. Reese serves concurrently in Oklahoma City as the commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
Boyd Kevin Rutherford is an American politician,businessman and attorney who served as the ninth lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023.
Michael T. Scuse is an American government official serving as the Delaware Secretary of Agriculture. Scuse previously served as the acting United States deputy secretary of agriculture and United States secretary of agriculture in the Obama administration.
Samuel Harvey Clovis Jr. is a former United States Air Force officer,talk radio host,and political figure. Clovis is currently retired in Iowa.
Stephen Lee Censky is an American businessman and former government official. He served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 through 2020. In November 2020,he became the CEO of the American Soybean Association (ASA). He was also CEO of the ASA for 21 years prior to his tenure as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.
Chavonda J. Jacobs-Young is an American government executive who serves as the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research,Education,and Economics. Jacobs-Young was previously the administrator of the Agriculture Research Service,first appointed in February 2014;she was the first female and person of color to lead the agency. In 1998,Jacobs-Young became the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in paper science.
Douglas J. McKalip is an American agricultural policy advisor who has served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative since January 2023.
