USDA starts announcing state directors for Rural Development programs and Farm Service Agency

After some delay, the Department of Agriculture has started announcing appointments of USDA's key political positions in each state: director of the state office of the Farm Service Agency and director of Rural Development programs. "So far the administration has announced 18 FSA executives and 16 Rural Development directors," Farm Futures reports.

When we interviewed Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on May 27, we asked him about the delay. He said he had hoped to announce all 100 appointees at the same time, but had been delayed partly because consultations with senators, House members and other officials had taken longer than expected. "Some members of Congress are quite timely," he said. "Others have taken their time." Also, he said, clearance of appointees may be taking longer because of the administration's strict ethics rules.

The USDA Newsroom Web page has releases on appointees for Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. We were happy to see our friend Colleen Landkamer, a county commissioner in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, named RD director. She has been president of the National Association of Counties and has worked on rural development with local, national and international organizations, including the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, speaking at the week-long workshop we programmed for the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at the University of Maryland in 2005.

Other notable RD appointees include Philip Lehmkuhler of Indiana, who has been manager of economic development and member services for the Indiana Municipal Power Agency, serving 52 rural towns; Francisco Valentin of Texas, former director of USDA's Rural Utilities Service; Mario Villaneuva of Washington, director of Catholic Charities Housing Services in Yakima. Notable FSA appointees include Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Adrian Polanski, Michigan Racing Commissioner Christine White and Mississippi farmer Michael Sullivan, executive director of the National Furniture Market in Tupelo.