Stephen Censky, a soybean industry executive with ties to Minnesota and South Dakota, has been nominated to be deputy secretary of agriculture.
The deputy secretary traditionally manages the ag department's day-to-day operations.
Censky has served as CEO of the American Soybean Association for 21 years. If President Donald Trump's nomination is confirmed as expected, Censky will leave the commodity group.
"Nobody in agriculture is equipped to assist (Agriculture) Secretary (Sonny) Perdue in meeting the needs of farmers with practical solutions than Steve. He is a perfect fit for this role and we give him our strongest endorsement," Ron Moore, American Soybean Association president, said in a prepared statement.
Perdue is pleased with Censky's nomination, according to published reports.
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Censky began his career as a legislative assistant for Sen. Jim Abdnor, R-S.D. Later he served in both the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations at USDA,, eventually serving as administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service where he was involved in running U.S. export programs.
Censky grew up on a soybean, corn and diversified livestock farm near Jackson, Minn. He earned his B.S. in agriculture from South Dakota State University and his postgraduate diploma in agricultural science from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
