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.

Eric Bohl

January 17, 2025

2 Min Read
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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.

Related:Democrats push back on USDA funding freeze

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.

Related:Farm Progress America, Feb. 7, 2025

“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.”

About the Author

Eric Bohl

Eric Bohl is an agricultural policy leader with extensive experience on Capitol Hill. He served six years as Chief of Staff to Congressman Jason Smith (R-MO) and Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), and previously served as Legislative Director to Rep. Hartzler. During that time, he led her work on the House Agriculture Committee and was influential in efforts to craft the 2014 Farm Bill, as well as handling environmental, energy, transportation and infrastructure, and agricultural trade issues.

Eric’s experience starts at the ground level. His family has deep roots in both animal and row-crop farming going back several generations. This understanding of the unique challenges real farmers face brings valuable perspective to help solve clients’ needs. His midwestern values also allow him to build meaningful relationships with people on both sides of the political aisle and find common-sense solutions that transcend partisan lines.

This approach has continued to be the cornerstone of Eric’s career in grassroots advocacy. He served more than five years as Director of Public Affairs and Advocacy for Missouri Farm Bureau. He was a senior member of the organization’s legislative team and led communications and coalition advocacy efforts, including on the 2018 Farm Bill. His writings on agriculture and rural policy have been published in newspapers across the nation. He serves as First Vice President of the St. Louis Agribusiness Club and is a board member of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City, two of the nation’s largest and strongest organizations supporting agribusinesses.

Before his career in public policy, Eric was a practicing attorney for nearly five years, focusing on real estate and agricultural law, commercial transactions, and commercial litigation. Eric earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri, graduating from both programs with honors, and served as the Managing Editor of the Missouri Law Review.

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