News

Hearing date set for Northey and Ibach nominations

The Senate Ag Committee has set an October 5th hearing date for the nominations of Iowa ag secretary Bill Northey and Nebraska ag director Greg Ibach to top USDA posts. Northey is the nominee for Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, while Ibach has been tapped to be Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

The committee has yet to vote on two other USDA nominees who have already had a hearing–Steve Censky for Deputy Ag Secretary and Ted McKinney for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

There’s still no word on a hearing for Sam Clovis, nominated to be Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. Clovis has been criticized for past statements on climate change and some social issues. Democrats have also questioned whether he has the credentials needed for the position.