Fordyce tapped by Trump as USDA undersecretary

Fourth-generation Missouri farmer and MFA member Richard Fordyce has been nominated by newly inaugurated President Trump to serve as USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation.  

If confirmed, Fordyce would direct the Farm Service Agency, which he led during Trump’s first administration, along with the Risk Management Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  

Fordyce, who also formerly served as Missouri’s director of agriculture, raises corn, soybeans and beef cattle on his family’s farm in Bethany, Mo. He and his wife of 35 years, Renee, have two children, Ethan and Emma, both of whom graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia with agriculture degrees. Renee is also an agricultural industry leader, serving on the American Soybean Association board of directors and as president of the Missouri Soybean Association.

The farm production and conservation segment that Fordyce would oversee is one of USDA’s eight mission areas and includes programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance, conservation, farm safety net, lending and disaster programs.

Before Fordyce can officially assume the undersecretary role, his nomination will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

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