Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services

United States Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
Incumbent Michael T. Scuse since May 14, 2012
Formation	1969
First holder	Clarence Palmby
Website	Official website

The Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services is the third-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture. The incumbent heads a mission area of USDA that "helps to keep America's farmers and ranchers in business as they face the uncertainties of weather and markets..." and that "...deliver[s] commodity, credit, conservation, disaster, and emergency assistance programs that help improve the stability and strength of the agricultural economy." ^[1] The Under Secretary is traditionally appointed to serve as the President of the Commodity Credit Corporation.

The Under Secretary is appointed by the President of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President. The current Under Secretary is Michael T. Scuse, who was appointed by President Barack Obama May 14, 2012.^[2][3]

Overview

The Under Secretary is the principal officer of the United States Department of Agriculture charged with administering programs and providing services which focus on supporting a sustainable and competitive American agricultural system. The Under Secretary administers agricultural commodity insurance, farm loans, conservation, environmental, emergency assistance, and domestic and international food assistance programs. These programs are intended to provide cost-effective means of managing risk for agricultural producers in order to improve the economic stability of agriculture. The Under Secretary's mission area also represents the diverse interests of the U.S. food and agricultural sector abroad by managing the Department's international activities, addressing market access constraints, and working to expand markets for U.S. agricultural, fish and forest products overseas.

The Under Secretary provides leadership and oversight for the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Foreign Agricultural Service. The President normally appoints the Under Secretary as President of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), though in the past this latter responsibility has sometimes been held by other USDA officials. The Under Secretary for FFAS also normally chairs the interagency Food Assistance Policy Council and is a member of the interagency Trade Policy Review Group (TPRG).

The Under Secretary is the third highest-ranking official within the Agriculture Department, ranking behind the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, and holds a Level III position within the Executive Schedule. Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $165,300.

History

The Department of Agriculture was made a Cabinet-level department in 1889. For many years, the Secretary of Agriculture supervised chiefs of bureaus of the Department, as was the norm throughout the U.S. government. Subsequently, a single subcabinet position of Assistant Secretary was created. Over time, this position was upgraded to Under Secretary, under which in turn was a single Assistant Secretary.

In 1953, Secretary Ezra Taft Benson lobbied for the creation of additional Assistant Secretary positions, which Congress approved that summer. Two of these positions, the Assistant Secretary for the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Assistant Secretary for Commodity Marketing and Adjustment, were merged in September 1953, and in December of that year the vacant position was redesignated Assistant Secretary for Stabilization. Between 1953 and 1962 the responsibilities of today's Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services were thus shared by two Assistant Secretaries, for "Stabilization" and for "Marketing and Foreign Agriculture". The former oversaw the Commodity Stabilization Service and its successors, including the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, while the latter oversaw the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Foreign Agricultural Service. In 1963, the positions were reshuffled, with foreign agriculture (oversight of the Foreign Agricultural Service and the newly created International Agricultural Development Service) assigned to an Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, and marketing and stabilization combined under an Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Consumer Services. In 1969, responsibility for both foreign affairs and farm support (stabilization) programs was consolidated into a single position entitled Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Commodity Programs, with marketing remaining under its own, separate Assistant Secretary.

The Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 upgraded the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Commodity Programs to Under Secretary. At the time, it was the only Under Secretary-level subcabinet position in USDA, as the official previously called Under Secretary had been retitled as Deputy Secretary, in keeping with common U.S. government practice. Subsequent USDA reorganizations, notably that of 1994, upgraded most USDA subcabinet officials to Under Secretary status, however.

Dorothy Jacobson, a longtime aide to Orville Freeman, was the first woman appointed to one of these positions, in 1964. This made her the first woman to serve in a subcabinet position in USDA.^[4]

Another former assistant secretary, James T. Ralph, was a figure in the Billie Sol Estes scandal and was forced to leave Federal service. This scandal led directly to the 1963 shakeup of USDA, a reassignment of responsibilities for oversight of commodity programs, and investigation of allegations of corrupt activities by state-level employees of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.

Reporting Officials

Officials reporting to the Under Secretary include:

• Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
• Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service
• Administrator, Farm Service Agency
• Administrator, Risk Management Agency

Office Holders

See also

• Commodity Credit Corporation
• Farm Service Agency
• Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
• Foreign Agricultural Service
• Risk Management Agency
• Trade Policy Committee

References

External links

Biographic Information

• Iowa Legislature biography of Seeley G. Lodwick
• Virginia Tech announcement about Richard T. Crowder
• Virginia Tech press release about Richard T. Crowder
• Nominations of Eugene Moos, James S. Gilliland, and Ellen W. Haas : hearing before the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, first session
• The biography of August Schumacher
• Forbes Profile of August Schumacher
• The biography of J.B. Penn
• USDA Profile of J.B. Penn
• The biography of Mark Keenum
• Mississippi State University biographic sketch of Mark Keenum
• President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts (includes short biographic sketch of James W. Miller)
• Biographic sketch of James W. Miller
• Agriculture Subcabinet Members Take Oath of Office
• Conrad Bolsters Staff in Prep for Farm Bill, USDA Under Secretary Jim Miller Will Return to Hill as Senator's Top Ag Aide
• AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK NAMES MICHAEL T. SCUSE AS DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY FOR FARM AND FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICES
• Michael Scuse Sworn In as FFAS Under Secretary

Legislation

• Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994

Bibliography

Newspapers

• Washington Post, January 20, 1953, "Coke Heads New Appointees Named to Agriculture Department"
• Washington Post, January 23, 1953, "Benson Cuts Agriculture to 4 Groups"
• New York Times, March 26, 1953, "President Submits Agriculture Plan"
• New York Times, July 12, 1953, "2 Named Farm Department Aides"
• Washington Post, July 12, 1953, "Two Named To New Posts at Agriculture"
• New York Times, July 17, 1953, "Senate Confirms Four"
• Washington Post, September 29, 1953, "Benson Giving States Bigger Farm Role"
• Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1953, "Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Resigns"
• New York Times, October 14, 1953, "Benson Outlines Bureau's Revision"
• Washington Post, October 14, 1953, "Benson Acts To Reshuffle Department"
• New York Times, December 17, 1953, "Rizley Named Agriculture Aide"
• New York Times, December 18, 1953, "An Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Is Sworn"
• Wall Street Journal, January 20, 1954, "Agriculture Department Aide Will Quit For Harvard Post"
• New York Times, February 12, 1954, "High Benson Aide Quits Farm 'Team'; 9th of 12 To Leave"
• Chicago Daily Tribune, July 29, 1954, "Becker Receives Senate Approval For Customs Post"
• New York Times, July 30, 1954, "U.S. Agriculture Aide Sworn"
• New York Times, December 3, 1954, "Agriculture Aide Resigns"
• New York Times, January 13, 1955, "New Yorker Is Chosen for Agriculture Post"
• New York Times, December 25, 1955, "Resign From Government Posts"
• New York Times, June 9, 1957, "Agriculture Aide Resigns"
• Chicago Daily Tribune, July 2, 1957, "Ex-Prof Named to Agriculture Post"
• New York Times, November 28, 1958, "Farm Post Slated For Tobacco Man"
• Christian Science Monitor, February 7, 1959, "Kentucky Man Confirmed for U.S. Agriculture Post"
• Washington Post, October 27, 1960, "Resignation of McLain, Benson Aide, Accepted"
• Los Angeles Times, January 22, 1961, "U.S. Farming Post Given To Californian"
• Washington Post, May 16, 1962, "Ralph Fired in Probe of Estes Dealings"
• New York Times, June 9, 1962, "Ousted Career Man: James Tyree Ralph"
• Washington Post, July 18, 1962, "Baker Made Assistant at Agriculture as Welch, Second This Year, Goes Out"
• Washington Post, November 16, 1962, "Freeman Reorganizes Stabilization Controls"
• Washington Post, January 25, 1963, "Agriculture Aide Named By President"
• Washington Post, March 2, 1963, "Brownstein and Renne Confirmed"
• New York Times, July 2, 1963, "Agriculture Aide to Quit"
• Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1963, "UC Professor Nominated for Farm Post"
• New York Times, August 27, 1963, "Senate Confirms Mehren As Agriculture Assistant"
• New York Times, March 21, 1964, "2 Women Appointed to Leading U.S. Jobs"
• Christian Science Monitor, April 4, 1964, "Women in Government"
• Los Angeles Times, August 5, 1968, "Mrs. Dorothy Jacobson Plays Aide's Role in Agriculture"
• Washington Post, January 7, 1969, "Ex-Democrat Named Aide to Hardin"
• New York Times, June 1, 1972, “Agriculture Aide to Resign”
• Washington Post, June 1, 1972, “Grain Expert Palmby Leaving Government”
• Chicago Tribune, December 13, 1972, “4 Butz Assistants Quit in Shakeup of Department”
• New York Times, January 18, 1974, “Agriculture Assistant Plans To Resign at End of Month”
• Washington Post, January 18, 1974, “Brunthaver to Quit Post With 'Clear Conscience'”
• New York Times, May 30, 1975, “People and Business”
• Washington Post, July 23, 1975, “USDA Export Post Assumed by Bell”
• New York Times, January 25, 1977, “Consumer Advocate Seen in Line To Head New Agriculture Division”
• Washington Post, July 5, 1978, “Trying to Lead the USDA Through the Thicket of Politics”
• New York Times, March 29, 1981, “Reagan Appointees to Push Use of Natural Resources”
• Washington Post, January 6, 1983, “Inside: Agriculture”
• Wall Street Journal, May 2, 1983, “Amstutz Is Nominated For Agriculture Post”
• Washington Post, May 4, 1983, “The Federal Triangle”
• New York Times, May 29, 1987, “Key Agriculture Official Leaving Reagan Ranks”
• Washington Post, May 29, 1987, “Top Aide At USDA Resigning”
• Washington Post, April 11, 1989, “Today in Congress”
• New York Times, July 2, 1992, “Farm-Trade Aide Resigns”
• Washington Post, July 3, 1992, “Talking Points: No. 3 Official at Agriculture is Resigning as of July 20”
• Washington Post, March 9, 1993, “When Is a Senior Official Just an Official? When There Are Holes in the Defense Team”
• AgWeek, January 25, 2011, "Miller Leaving USDA Post"

USDA Documents

• Secretary's Memorandum 1320 of January 21, 1953, with Supplements 1 through 5
• Secretary's Memorandum 1446 of February 24, 1961, with Supplements 1 through 4

Agencies under the United States Department of Agriculture
Headquarters: Jamie L. Whitten Building Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services	Farm Service Agency Foreign Agricultural Service Risk Management Agency Commodity Credit Corporation Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment	Forest Service Natural Resources Conservation Service Office of Environmental Markets
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development	Rural Housing Service Rural Utilities Service Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services	Food and Nutrition Service Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety	Food Safety and Inspection Service
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics	Agricultural Research Service Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Economic Research Service National Agricultural Library National Agricultural Statistics Service
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs	Agricultural Marketing Service Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration