The list of potential people President-elect Donald Trump will choose from to lead USDA keeps getting longer. But there is a “short list” of candidates making the rounds, with sources very careful what they say about it.
Based on our prior and current reporting, here are the potential names for USDA secretary in no specific order (Link to an article Pro Farmer wrote with Tyne Morgan about this topic) with background on the list of USDA possibilities.)
1. Kip Tom
2. Charles Herbster
3. Sid Miller
4. Sarah Frey
5. Gregg Doud
6. Abel Maldonado
7. Zippy Duval
8. Mike Conaway
9. Thomas Massie
10. Ray Starling
11. Ted McKinney
12. Doug Burgum
13. Aurelia Skipwith
14. Cindy Hyde Smith
15. G.T. Thompson
Of note: The nomination of Sonny Perdue as USDA secretary did not occur until Jan 19, 2017. On Dec. 9, 2020, multiple news sources reported that President-elect Joe Biden had selected Tom Vilsack as his nominee for Secretary of Agriculture.