Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has made official his picks to serve as Farm Service Agency committee members across the country, adding former farm group leaders in several states.
Perdue officially named committee members for 49 states and Puerto Rico, excluding only Nevada. In a statement, Perdue said these appointees will “serve as a liaison between USDA and the producers in each state across the nation by keeping them informed and hearing their appeals and complaints.” He added that the committees are “made up mostly of active farmers and ranchers.”
Several former commodity group leaders were named to committee posts. Former American Soybean Association Presidents Ray Gaesser and Ron Moore will serve on committees in Iowa and Illinois, respectively. Moore will be joined on the Illinois committee by Martin Barbre, a former president of the National Corn Growers Association. Bart Schott, another former NCGA president, will serve on the North Dakota committee chaired by Jim Hague, a former chair of the National Live Stock and Meat Board. Julie Hurst, wife of Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst, will chair the committee in Missouri.
For a complete list of committee appointees, click here.
