Indiana State Director of Agriculture Ted McKinney was selected by President Trump to serve as the Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.
McKinney said he’s honored to be nominated by the president.
In May, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the creation of the position, which he says is a recognition of the ever-increasing importance of international trade to American agriculture.
Several agricultural organizations have expressed support for McKinney’s nomination.
Jane Ade Stevens, CEO of Indiana Corn and Indiana Soybean said McKinney has been a tireless advocate for Indiana agriculture and a great partner in working on the issues most important to growing food, fiber, and fuel.
The National Corn Growers Association said trade is more important than ever for farmers to overcome the challenging farm economy and McKinney will be a strong advocate for US agriculture on the global stage.
McKinney worked at both Dow AgroSciences and Elanco Animal Health before serving as the director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. While at ISDA McKinney helped launch Indiana’s new dairy strategy; worked to further develop the Indiana Grown initiative, a program that promotes and products grown and produced within the state; and most recently worked on Indiana agriculture’s new strategic plan.
The Senate is expected to complete the confirmation hearing before its August recess.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com