President Trump selected Steve Censky, chief executive of the American Soybean Association, to be deputy agriculture secretary, announced the White House in a decision applauded by farm groups. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has put agricultural trade at the top of his agenda, and Censky, who held trade posts at the USDA before joining the ASA in 1996, would reflect that priority.
Censky is the first administration nominee for a leadership post at the USDA since Perdue was selected for agriculture secretary on the day before Trump took office. Last month, Perdue said a half-dozen USDA nominees were marking time while their background checks were conducted. It would be fall, he predicted, before any of the USDA’s senior executives would join him on the job. “I’m tired of working 22 hours a day,” he said. Perdue had a historically late start to his tenure, arriving at the USDA 13 weeks into the new administration.
“Our work has only just begun in delivering results for the people of American agriculture, and the experience and leadership skills of Stephen Censky will only enhance our efforts,” said Perdue. “He will bring enthusiasm and a dedication to this country which will be great assets to USDA’s customers. I am extremely pleased with the nomination for this key position and am hopeful that the Senate will take it up in short order.”
The National Association of Wheat Growers said Censky’s experience as a farmer and “vast understanding of the agriculture sector make him an ideal candidate for this role.” The NAWG urged Senate confirmation before the August recess. The National Corn Growers Association, one of a powerhouse block of farm groups that recently urged Trump to fill out the USDA’s executive team, said, “We’re pleased to see a strong, experienced deputy [secretary] nominated today. We urge the president to continue moving forward with other USDA nominations.”
Censky held trade posts at the USDA in the 1990s, including acting administrator of the agency’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Half of the U.S. soybean crop is exported annually, and the “ASA has contributed to that success story,” Censky said in a 2012 profile in Corn and Soybean Digest.