USDA Receives New Secretary

WASHINGTON — Ed Schafer was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Jan 28.

Born and raised in Bismarck, N.D., Schafer graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned an MBA from the University of Denver in 1970.

Schafer brings a record as an innovative two-term governor of North Dakota to USDA along with extensive private sector experience as both an entrepreneur and a business executive.

As North Dakota's governor from 1992 to 2000, he diversified and expanded North Dakota's economy by reducing the cost of government and advancing agriculture as his top priorities in office.

Schafer was elected chair of the Republican Governors Association in 2000 and that same year he co-founded and co-chaired the Governors Biotechnology Partnership to increase public understanding and support for the benefits of agricultural biotechnology. 

He worked to normalize trading relations with China and develop the nation as an export market for North Dakota farm products. He also led efforts to upgrade North Dakota's communications infrastructure and make high-speed voice and data networks available to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses.

After leaving office in 2000, he co-founded Extend America, a venture capital-backed company, to provide wireless voice and high-speed data services to commercial and residential customers in five rural Midwestern states.

Read more about Schafer on USDA’s Web site.