Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will announce ?USDA reorganization? during an event in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday afternoon. While details remain sparse, many suspect the Department of Agriculture will announce the creation of an office of undersecretary for trade. Perdue will make the announcement at Consolidated Grain and Barge, a grain shipping company. He is expected to tour the facility, then make his remarks at 2:30 pm eastern time. During the event, four Indiana farmers will have the opportunity to meet with Perdue and discuss issues including trade. Top Indiana Farm Bureau leaders, Randy Kron and Kendell Culp, are among those meeting with Perdue.
The 2014 Farm Bill called for splitting the position of Agriculture undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services into two positions, one to oversee the domestic Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency functions and another to be an advocate for exports and to oversee the Foreign Agricultural Service. However, no appointment or creation of the office was made during the Barack Obama administration.
