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NASDA CEO discusses policy priorities under incoming Trump admin

Brownfield stock photo: Brownfield’s Brent Barnett (right) interviews NASDA CEO Ted McKinney in Cheyenne, Wyoming

The CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture says he doesn’t anticipate any changes in their 2025 policy priorities despite a new incoming administration.

Ted McKinney says NASDA expects President-elect Donald Trump will be more assertive on certain issues. “It’s trade, it’s labor, it’s PFAS, and I think those will stay the same. How we go about the tactics of those might be different. I suspect we will be more assertive on trade if we see opportunities.”

Speaking to reporters at the 2024 NAFB Convention in Kansas City, he said his association will maintain its focus on PFAS, or forever chemicals. “Anything that has the words forever chemicals, it scares people. They just want it to go away. Well, that leads to very draconian rules and regulations, whether driven by a state legislature or a Congress or an executive branch. So, we’ve got to be careful and address the issues that are there and that are real.”

McKinney says NASDA will also aim to work closely with Trump’s EPA on the Endangered Species Act.