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.
Dale Leon Bumpers was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas (1971–1975) and in the United States Senate (1975–1999). He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was counsel at the Washington office of law firm Arent Fox LLP,where his clients included Riceland Foods and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
David Hampton Pryor was an American politician who served as a representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district from 1966 until 1973 and as a senator from Arkansas from 1979 until 1997. A member of the Democratic Party,Pryor also served as the 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1966. He served as the acting chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party from 2008 to 2009,following Bill Gwatney's assassination.
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.
Clyde Taylor Ellis was an American educator,lawyer and politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Arkansas from 1939 to 1943.
Jason Allen is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the state senate from 2003 to 2010. He represented the 37th district,which includes Grand Traverse,Antrim,Charlevoix,Emmet,Cheboygan,Presque Isle,Chippewa and Mackinac Counties.
Stan Gruszynski is an American farmer and Democratic politician from Marinette County,Wisconsin. He is a member of the Marinette County board of supervisors since 2020. During the presidency of Barack Obama,he was Wisconsin state director for USDA Rural Development. Earlier in his career,he served five terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly,representing the 71st Assembly district from 1985 to 1995. He was also one of Wisconsin's representatives on the Democratic National Committee in 2008,and thus served as a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Jasper Schneider is a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party politician. Schneider represented the 21st legislative district in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 2006 to 2009. In 2008,he ran for North Dakota Insurance Commissioner,losing narrowly with 49.7% of the vote. On September 30,2009,Schneider was appointed USDA Rural Development state director for North Dakota.
Terry Allen Goodin is an American politician who currently serves as Indiana state director for USDA Rural Development. Goodin was formerly a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives,representing the 66th district from 2000 to 2020.
John Charles Edwards is a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Edwards was born in Pine Bluff,Arkansas and grew up in rural Lonoke County,Arkansas.
Darrin L. Williams is an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party,Williams is a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from District 36. He was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election in 2014. He was House Speaker Pro Tempore for the term from March 2012 to December 2012.
Basil Ivanhoe Gooden is an American governmental executive whose career has advanced equitable food systems,agriculture policy,public health,and community economic development in rural America. Gooden served as the 3rd Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia in the cabinet of Governor Terry McAuliffe. He became the first Black American to serve in this position and during his tenure from September 2016 until January 2018,he was the only Black American Secretary of Agriculture in any state in the United States. In his capacity as Secretary,he provided strategic vision and leadership to two of Virginia's largest private industries,Agriculture and Forestry,with an annual economic impact of $91 billion on the Commonwealth.
Danny Watson is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives,representing the 88th district. Watson defeated incumbent Democratic Representative Brent Talley in his failed reelection bid in the general election held on November 8,2016. Watson began serving his first term in the 91st General Assembly on January 9,2017 where he serves on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee,the House Aging,Children and Youth,Legislative and Military Affairs Committee,and the Energy Joint Committee. He was elected to the 88th district on November 8,2022 in the 2022 Arkansas House of Representatives election,and assumed office January 9,2023.
The Ninety-First Arkansas General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Arkansas in 2017 and 2018. In this General Assembly,the Arkansas Senate and Arkansas House of Representatives were both controlled by the Republicans. In the Senate,23 senators were Republicans,11 were Democrats,and one position was vacant until April. In the House,69 representatives were Republicans,30 were Democrats,and one was independent.
Clare Carlson is an American politician from North Dakota who previously served as the North Dakota State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development. Carlson was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump and previously served in the same position under President George W. Bush.
Lillian Salerno is an American attorney and entrepreneur who serves as USDA Rural Development State Director in Texas from 2022. She served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Rural Development of the United States Department of Agriculture from 2015 to 2017. She is the Principal of Armadilla Strategies and previously served as the Executive Director and Senior Policy Advisor at Safe Healthcare International Institute,as Executive Director of the International Association of Safe Injection Technologies,and as Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Retractable Technologies,Inc.
Josh Branscum is an American politician and Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Kentucky's 83rd House district. His district includes Clinton and Russell counties as well as part of Pulaski County.
Bradley Howard Finstad is an American politician,farmer,and agricultural consultant serving as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 1st congressional district since 2022. Finstad represents a large section of southern Minnesota situated along the border with Iowa. A member of the Republican Party,Finstad served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 until 2009.
