Indiana mega-farmer Kip Tom and Iowa agriculture secretary Bill Northey “seem to be the top contenders” for deputy agriculture secretary, says Politico, with sources saying talk of Northey for the job “has been increasing in recent days.” After the agricultural roundtable with President Trump on Tuesday, Northey said he had not been offered any USDA position but would consider it if offered, said Iowa Farmer Today.
The deputy secretary is the No. 2 official at USDA and oversees day-to-day operations, including the long process of negotiating the annual budget, freeing the secretary to focus on policy issues. Deputies sometimes make a name for themselves; Kathleen Merrigan was known during the Obama administration for promoting local foods, including the “Know your farmer, know your food” campaign, and Chuck Conner, the former White House ag adviser, was the de facto Bush administration leader on the 2008 farm bill because of his ties, developed over a long career, to the White House, Congress and farm groups.
Personal chemistry between the secretary and sub-cabinet officers also can be important in determining the role that subordinates play. Mike Espy, the first black and first Southerner to lead USDA, seemed to disregard Gene Moos, the undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services. In this important job, the undersecretary pilots farm subsidies and trade programs that some say is more important than the deputy secretary.
Trump’s agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, is the second southerner to head USDA. He is the first of dozens of administration appointees needed to put Trump’s ideas into action. Announcement of sub-cabinet officials could begin this week, said Politico.
Traditionally, the Farm Belt of the Midwest and Plains gets one of the two top jobs at USDA as a way of balancing the interests of the agricultural regions of the country.
Speaking of Perdue, Northey said, “I did not know him at all before he was named to this position … but he seems very down to earth and very articulate. You could tell the president really supported him.” Northey spoke to Trump about corn ethanol and the president reiterated strong support for the biofuel, said USA Today.
Northey and Tom, who has farms in Indiana and Brazil, are frequently mentioned for top USDA jobs. Tom, who attended Perdue’s confirmation hearing in the Senate, posted a video on Youtube while running a mammoth sprayer rig. He spoke highly of Trump’s executive order and the importance of expanding farm output to keep pace with world population growth. “Let’s do our part,” he said, “and deliver on that promise. I hope to see you all soon and hope to be a part of making sure rural American agriculture can deliver.”