United States Secretary Of Agriculture - Secretary Of Agriculture

The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.

The department includes several organizations. The 297,000 mi² (770,000 km²) of national forests and grasslands are managed by the United States Forest Service. The safety of food produced that are produced in the United States and sold here is ensured by the United States Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Food Stamp Program works with the states to provide food to low-income people. Advice for farmers and gardeners is provided by the United States Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.

The line of succession for the Secretary of Agriculture is as follows:

1. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
2. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services
3. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration
4. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
5. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics
6. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety
7. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment
8. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development
9. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
10. General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture
11. Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary
12. State Executive Directors of the Farm Service Agency (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the States of:
    1. California
    2. Iowa
    3. Kansas
13. Regional Administrators of the Food and Nutrition Service (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the:
    1. Mountain Plains Regional Office (Denver, Colorado)
    2. Midwest Regional Office (Chicago, Illinois)
    3. Western Regional Office (San Francisco, California)
14. Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture
15. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights
16. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations

In 2015, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack expressed the desire to resign to President Obama. The Washington Post reports that he said "There are days when I have literally nothing to do," he recalled thinking as he weighed his decision to quit." President Obama asked him to stay and asked him to look into the problem of opioid addiction.

Secretaries of Agriculture

The following is a list of Secretaries of Agriculture, since the creation of the office in 1889.

Parties

  Democratic   Republican

Living former Secretaries of Agriculture

As of December 2016, there are nine living former Secretaries of Agriculture, the oldest being Robert Bergland (served 1977-1981, born 1928). The most recent Secretary of Agriculture to die was Clifford M. Hardin (served 1969â€"1971, born 1915), on April 4, 2010. The most recently serving Secretary to die was Edward Rell Madigan (1991-1993, born 1936) on December 7, 1994.

References

External links

• www.usda.gov