Letter Supporting the Hoskins and Dr. Hutchins Nominations

Letter

Dear Senators Boozman and Klobuchar:

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) is extremely encouraged that the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry has scheduled a confirmation hearing of Mr. Dudley Hoskins to serve as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs and Dr. Scott Hutchins to serve as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics.

NASDA supports the nominations of both of these highly experienced and well-qualified individuals and requests that you approve their nominations promptly.

State departments of agriculture work collaboratively with our federal partners in the Marketing and Regulatory Programs mission area through numerous cooperative funding agreements, such as those administered by USDA-APHIS to safeguard animal and plant health and ensure supply chain resiliency across the United States. These cooperative agreements are driven by risks of plant pests and disease, as well as foreign animal disease incursions into the United States.

Likewise, state departments of agriculture are crucially positioned at the intersection of agriculture and nutrition security. Our nonpartisan membership is dedicated to connecting the food that farmers and ranchers grow with consumers in every community across the U.S. and around the world.

To fulfill our obligations effectively and efficiently, we need highly qualified candidates like Dudley Hoskins to serve in these crucial positions to maintain and enhance the cooperative relationships between USDA and the state departments of agriculture.

NASDA also works closely with the USDA Research, Education, and Economics mission area through numerous programs and initiatives, most notably through the National Agricultural Statistics Service. In 1972, NASDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service entered into a federal partnership for NASDA to employ enumerators, pay their salaries, travel expenses and other costs associated with data collection for specific surveys. Over time, the agreement has expanded to encompass all data collection work for surveys conducted in all states.

The valuable information provided by agricultural statistics gathered through this cooperative agreement is crucial for planning and administering federal and state programs. Congressional action on any farm bill relies heavily on acreage, production potential, stocks, prices, costs of production and income data.

Farmers, ranchers and others in agriculture also require reliable information on production, supplies, marketing, prices, weather and a vast array of other inputs. Up-to-date agricultural statistics provide valuable information that helps develop a stable economic atmosphere and reduce risk in production, marketing and distribution operations.

Dr. Scott Hutchins possesses the leadership to advance policies that promote agricultural research, education, and economics programs.

NASDA enthusiastically supports the nominations of Dudley Hoskins and Dr. Scott Hutchins and asks the committee to quickly advance their nominations.

Sincerely,

Ted McKinney
Chief Executive Officer
NASDA

NASDA CEO Ted McKinney

Hoskins and Hutchins Nominations