IDFA last week joined more than 100 food and agriculture trade associations and companies working through the broad-based U.S. Food and Agriculture Dialogue for Trade to endorse Stephen Censky’s nomination as Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In a letter to the leaders of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), the groups said Censky is highly qualified for the position and called for speedy confirmation.

In the letter, the groups cited Censky strong ties to agriculture by highlighting his 21 years as head of the American Soybean Association, his lifelong agricultural experience and his previous work in marketing, trade and the Foreign Agricultural Service at USDA.

“As organizations that have known and worked closely with Steve Censky for most of his professional career, we can state unequivocally that he is well qualified to serve as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture,” the groups said.

If confirmed, Censky would be second in command to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

“We respectfully urge the committee to take up his nomination at your earliest convenience so that it can be considered by the Senate, and Mr. Censky can join Secretary Perdue in carrying out the important work of the Department of Agriculture,” the groups concluded.

IDFA CEO: “Steve is a great choice”

In a statement welcoming Censky’s nomination earlier this month, Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA, said, “Steve is a great choice for the deputy secretary role. He is well versed in the issues of modern food and agriculture production and has leadership experience at USDA having served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. With this appointment, Secretary Perdue is assembling a strong leadership team. We look forward to working with Steve on several important issues including implementation of flexibility in the school lunch program, expanding agricultural trade and the reauthorization of the farm bill.”

For more information, contact Beth Hughes, IDFA director of international affairs, at bhughes@idfa.org.