U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue released a plan on May 11 to reorganize the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). That plan creates an undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, recognizing the ever-increasing importance of international trade to American agriculture.
As part of a reorganization of USDA, Perdue also announced that a newly-named Farm Production and Conservation mission area will have a customer focus and meet USDA constituents in the field.
Perdue announced that the department’s Rural Development agencies would be elevated to report directly to the secretary of agriculture in recognition of the need to help promote rural prosperity.
Perdue issued a report to announce the changes, which address congressional direction in the 2014 Farm Bill to create the new undersecretary for trade and also serves as a down payment on President Trump’s request of his cabinet to deliver plans to improve the accountability and customer service provided by departments.
“Food is a noble thing to trade. This nation has a great story to tell and we’ve got producers here that produce more than we can consume,” Perdue said. “And that’s good, because I’m a grow-it-and-sell-it kind of guy. Our people in American agriculture have shown they can grow it, and we’re here to sell it in markets all around the world.”
The change recognizes the importance of agriculture to the American economy. U.S. agricultural and food exports account for 20 percent of the value of production, and every dollar of these exports creates another $1.27 in business activity. And every $1 billion in U.S. agricultural exports supports about 8,000 American jobs across the entire American economy.
“Our plan to establish an undersecretary for trade fits right in line with my goal to be American agriculture’s unapologetic advocate and chief salesman around the world. By working side by side with our U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, the USDA undersecretary for trade will ensure that American producers are well equipped to sell their products and feed the world,” Perdue said.
USDA’s reorganization seeks to place agencies in more logical order. Under the existing structure, the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), which deals with overseas markets, and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), which handles domestic issues, were housed under one mission area, along with the Risk Management Agency (RMA). FAS will now operate under the new undersecretary for trade.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway applauded the reorganization efforts.
“I commend Secretary Perdue and the administration for, after just two weeks in office, putting forward a thoughtful reorganization plan that seeks to ensure all the critical mission areas at USDA are operating efficiently and effectively,” Conaway said. “I look forward to the new undersecretary for trade playing an active role in gaining additional market access for our products, while working to ensure that our trading partners honor the commitments they have made. The committee will take a very close look at each of the proposed changes, and this will be one of the many important topics we cover when the Secretary appears before the committee next week.”
Perdue also noted other reorganization efforts.
A new undersecretary will be selected for a newly-named Farm Production and Conservation mission area, which is to focus on domestic agricultural issues. Locating FSA, RMA, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service under this domestically-oriented undersecretary will provide a simplified one-stop shop for USDA’s primary customers, the men and women farming, ranching and foresting across America.
“The men and women of American agriculture are hardy people, many of whom were born into the calling of feeding America and the world,” Perdue said. “Their efforts are appreciated, and this adjustment to the USDA structure will help us help them in even better ways than before.”
Under the reorganization plan, the undersecretary for natural resources and environment will retain supervision of the U.S. Forest Service. A reduction in USDA workforce is not part of the reorganization plan.
The USDA