The White House is expected to soon name a slate of nominees to key positions at USDA.  The CEO of the American Soybean Association, Steve Censky, is expected to be named deputy secretary, the person who normally manages day-to-day operations in the department.

Iowa Agriculture Commissioner Bill Northey, a former president of the National Corn Growers Association, is expected to be named the first-ever undersecretary for the newly configured mission area of Farm Production and Conservation, sources say. Indiana Agriculture Director Ted McKinney would be the first undersecretary of trade.

Sam Clovis, who advised the Trump campaign on agriculture policy and is now a senior advisor to Perdue, is likely to be named undersecretary for research, education and economics. Clovis is a former economics professor at Morningside College. His doctorate from the University of Alabama was in public administration.