The speculation season has begun, with several names being floated for Agriculture Secretary in a new Trump administration. Leading the pack: Kip Tom, a former Ambassador to the United Nations, Indiana farmer and a leader of Trump’s ag coalition who celebrated Trump’s victory at Mar-a-Lago last night.
Rep Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a libertarian who’s a raw milk advocate and checkoff program opponent, has made no secret of his interest in the job. In July, he wrote on X, "I think I could do some good for this country as Secretary of Agriculture, for any president."
On Wednesday, well-known and controversial farmer and author Joel Salatin posted on his blog that Massie “has agreed to go in as Secretary of Agriculture.” Salatin also said he himself had accepted a post as one of six advisers to the secretary.
Massie quickly debunked the claim, writing on X, “I have received no commitments or offers from President Trump’s team, and any discussion of the transition are premature.”
Another possibility is former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who was among the candidates on the short list for ag secretary in the first Trump administration. Ethan Lane, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, told Agri-Pulse’s Noah Wicks Wednesday that Maldonado "definitely is someone who is in that conversation. … He's from agriculture" and "brings a strong voice," Lane said.
Yet another potential nominee, though perhaps a long shot, is Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, who’s on the presidential transitional team. He told Agri-Pulse Wednesday that he hasn't yet "sat down and talked with the president or even the transition team" about the possibility of a future role as secretary. He was interviewed after Trump's election in 2016, but "didn't have the executive experience" at the time. He said he passed a background check in 2020, but Trump lost the election.
Still, Miller's open to the idea. "I’m not going to campaign for it," he said, but added: "If the president says, ‘I need you to come up and help me,’ I’d say, ‘yes sir.’”
Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, has also been touted as a possibility.
RFK Jr. still in spotlight: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., meanwhile, told NBC News he may be a “health czar” in the Trump administration but has not been offered anything yet. He was meeting with senior Trump officials at Mar-a-Lago Wednesday.
Miller said he supports some of RFK Jr.’s ideas, such as reinstituting the President's Physical Fitness Plan in schools and ensuring school food is "cooked from scratch" and not "ultra-processed."
But Miller said some of Kennedy’s ideas "I do not agree with and neither does Trump." One of Miller’s concerns is RFK Jr.'s well-known criticism of pesticides. "We can't just take a tool away from a farmer and not replace it with a better tool," Miller said.
Boozman: Trump has a mandate
Arkansas GOP Sen. John Boozman, who’s set to take over as chair of the Senate Ag Committee next year says Trump’s victory Tuesday represents a “mandate” for the new administration.
“The thing that I was excited about … was that by 1:30, 2 o'clock last night, we knew it was over.” the senator from Arkansas said. “And I don't think anybody felt like we would know who the next president was going to be early in the morning.”
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“And to win the electoral vote the way that like Trump did, and then also win the popular vote. Those are things that I think very definitely you could consider a mandate,” Boozman said.
What’s next? Boozman says Congress “very definitely” needs to pass an assistance package for farmers affected by the downturn in commodity prices. Lawmakers return for their lame duck session next week.
House control still up in the air
With control of the White House and Senate, Republicans are one piece away from a clean sweep, but it may be days before the outcome of the House is determined.
As of Wednesday evening, the Associated Press had yet to call 41 House races including several competitive ag districts that could help determine which party controls the chamber.
Two closely watched races in California’s Central Valley involve Republican incumbents John Duarte and David Valadao. Late Wednesday, Duarte was leading his race by 3 points with just 52% of votes in while Valadao was up 10 points with 56% of votes counted.
Democrats, meanwhile, were hoping to hold onto Rep. Yadira Caraveo’s seat in Colorado’s 8th District. She held a narrow lead against opponent Gabe Evans, but 22% of the vote has yet to be counted. In Washington’s 3rd District, Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez held a lead against her opponent with 59% of votes in.
Groups react in wake of Trump election
The Alliance for a Stronger FDA said “any change in power — even same party — creates uncertainty and requires a reassessment of organizational positioning and priorities.”
“Given the high level of uncertainty, everyone is just speculating and projecting today,” the group said.
Keep in mind: FDA is being targeted by RFK Jr. and his allies who have a broad range of complaints about the agency.
The Public Lands Council congratulated Trump but also offered some advice.
“Moving forward, it’s critical President Trump restores transparency to the federal rulemaking process so that input from real cattle and sheep producers is actually heard and not ignored,” said PLC President and Colorado rancher Tim Canterbury. “Ranchers are in dire need of regulatory relief and PLC is excited to work with the Trump Administration to streamline the federal permitting process to improve the health of America’s vast rangeland.”
Report: Trump team not yet formally participating in transition
Trump hasn’t yet signed MOUs required by presidential transition law to gain access to agency briefing materials and transition funding, according to Government Executive.
The news site reported Wednesday that “federal agencies have prepared briefing materials to present to Trump’s landing teams and Congress has appropriated funding to support Trump’s transition efforts,” but both require to Trump to sign off on the process.
The screening of Trump transition members before being allowed to access sensitive materials could have begun in September, the publication reported.
Final word
Washington voters have chosen to keep in place the state’s “cap and trade” program forcing companies found to emit large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions to either reduce their emissions or buy allowances.
A proposed ballot measure that would have prohibited any type of carbon tax credit trading system was voted down by more than 60% of voters.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Ethan Lane was CEO of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. He is actually Vice President of Government Affairs.
