The following is a statement from the National Corn Growers Association on Indiana Agriculture Director Ted McKinney’s nomination for Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a new post created under the 2014 Farm Bill.

“Congratulations to Ted McKinney on being named Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. NCGA has long advocated for a dedicated position at USDA focused on increasing global demand for U.S. agriculture, and pushed for this in the last farm bill. We thank the Trump Administration for listening, and continuing to move that process forward. Trade is more important than ever for farmers to overcome this challenging farm economy.

“Mr. McKinney is an excellent choice to fill this new role. He has a longstanding record of service to the agriculture industry, and will be a strong advocate for U.S. agriculture on the global stage. We urge the Senate to move quickly to confirm him, so that our industry is in the best position to capitalize on increased global demand for our products.”

“We also thank the Administration for heeding our call for a full leadership team at USDA, making several appointments in the last week. We urge that process to continue. There is much work to be done, and we are eager to work together to build a stronger farm economy and move agriculture forward.”