WASHINGTON, D.C. – A South Dakotan has been nominated as the USDA undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. Luke Lindberg, the president and CEO of South Dakota Trade, an organization that helps companies with international trade issues, has been named Undersecretary for trade and foreign ag affairs.
In a post, Trump said, “During my first term, Luke served as Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the Export-Import Bank, where he earned the Distinguished Service Award. Luke will work to make sure American farmers and ranchers get the smart trade deals that they deserve.”
Lindberg currently serves as President and CEO of South Dakota Trade and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of District Export Councils.
He is also a Senior Fellow at the America First Policy Institute and earned a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government & Politics, all from the University of Maryland.
Lindberg’s father-in-law is Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.
In related news, Richard Fordyce has been nominated as USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. He was formerly the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency during the first Trump administration and currently serves as Director of Ag Business for Osborn Barr Paramore (OBP).
Fordyce has held leadership roles in agriculture on the local, state and national levels for more than 30 years. He and his wife Renee own and operate Fordyce Farms, a fourth-generation Missouri soybean, corn and cattle farm, in Harrison County.
Dudley Hoskins has been nominated as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs. Hoskins currently serves as counsel on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and previously spent four years at USDA during Trump’s first term as the chief of staff for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and senior advisor to the secretary.
Another nominee, Michael Boren, will serve as the United States Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the Department of Agriculture.
Boren is a businessman, who has founded six companies, including Clearwater Analytics. He has also served as a volunteer fireman for Sawtooth Valley Rural Fire Department, and as a board member of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.
