Deputy Agriculture Secretary Krysta Harden announced she will leave the USDA at the end of February after six years at the department in various jobs. Agriculture Undersecretary Michael Scuse, who oversees the farm program and U.S. export programs, will become acting deputy secretary and Alexis Taylor, a Scuse deputy, will take over the duties of undersecretary. An experienced Washington hand, Harden joined USDA in 2009 as assistant secretary for congressional relations and was chief of staff to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack before being confirmed as deputy secretary in August 2013. Harden did not disclose her post-USDA plans.
USDA chief veterinarian John Clifford will shift to the post of chief trade adviser for the agency’s Veterinary Services national import-export staff on March 1, said administrator Kevin Shea of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “This change will allow Dr. Clifford to focus more on global trade issues at a time when international trade has become ever more crucial to our mission,” said Shea in an announcement. Clifford has been chief veterinarian for 12 years and was a leader in the USDA’s handling of the bird flu epidemic of 2015, which included extensive consultations with U.S. trade partners.