Governor Appoints New Montana Agriculture Director
News Date August 01, 2007
Governor Brian Schweitzer has appointed Ron de Yong as the new director of the Montana Department of Agriculture. He replaces Nancy K. Peterson who passed away last month.
"Ron is a common sense guy with a commitment to moving Montana agriculture forward," said Schweitzer. "It is an honor to have him on the team."
"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve Montanans in this capacity," said de Yong. "My experience in the day-to-day operations of a family farm, and also in policy and economics that affect our Montana agriculture producers will allow me to contribute in helping our farmers and ranchers as part of the Schweitzer Administration. I am committed to family farms and ranches and value-added agriculture in Montana."
Ron de Yong owns and operates a 320-acre family farm in Kalispell and teaches agriculture policy and economics at Cal Poly State University. He has been an economist for National Farmers Union, served as a Montana State Committee member for the USDA Farm Service Agency and has been a state director for Montana Farmers Union. de Yong has a bachelor's degree in agricultural science and philosophy from Montana State University and a master's degree in economics from the University of Montana. He is married with three children. de Yong will start on September 4, 2007.