Trump begins filling out agriculture leadershipTrump begins filling out agriculture leadership
Legislative Watch: USDA nominations include Hoskins, Fordyce, Lindberg and Boren; Rollins on tap for nomination hearing Thursday.
January 17, 2025

President-elect Donald Trump announced several nominations for USDA positions on Thursday. Senate Agriculture Committee counsel Dudley Hoskins was named as Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. He served as Chief of Staff for Marketing and Regulatory Programs in the first Trump administration. In this role, Hoskins would oversee the Agricultural Marketing Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which includes the key mission areas of animal health and veterinary services.
Missouri farmer Richard Fordyce has been selected to serve as Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be tasked with overseeing the Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service, among others. Fordyce served as Administrator of the FSA under the first Trump administration and formerly was director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. He raises corn, soybeans, and cattle on his north-Missouri farm.
Luke Lindberg, who runs a trade advocacy group in South Dakota, was named as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture. He would oversee the Foreign Agriculture Service and interface with the U.S. Trade Representative on behalf of agriculture. Lindberg served as Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the Export-Import Bank during Trump’s first term.
Idaho businessman Michael Boren has been named as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. He would oversee the Forest Service in this role if confirmed. According to Trump’s announcement, Boren has founded six companies, including Clearwater Analytics, and served as a volunteer firefighter for Sawtooth Valley Rural Fire Department.
Rollins on tap for nomination hearing Thursday
President-elect Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, will appear before the Senate Agriculture Committee for her nomination hearing next Thursday, Jan. 23. Her hearing had originally been expected this week but was delayed due to paperwork issues.
In advance of her hearing, 417 agricultural, food and rural organizations from across the country sent a letter to committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) supporting Rollins’ nomination. The groups include major national organizations like the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Pork Producers Council as well as hundreds of state-level commodity groups and advocacy organizations encompassing a broad ideological range.
“Throughout her career, [Rollins] has brought the perspectives of the American farmer and rancher to her work,” the groups said. “Her experience as an executive, building and running two large public policy organizations, has prepared her to provide effective executive leadership for USDA’s important, wide-ranging activities and large workforce. Her close working relationship with incoming President Trump will ensure that agriculture and rural America have a prominent and influential voice at the table when critical decisions are made in the White House.”
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