Agriculture secretary oversees food production, rural life, and nutrition programs that help millions afford healthy diets
- Written by Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University
A farmer harvests corn near McIntire, Iowa, on Oct. 31, 2023.Scott Olson/Getty ImagesTwo years after President Abraham Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture in 1862, he nicknamed it “the people’s department” because half of all Americans lived on farms at that time. Today, fewer than 2% of Americans farm, but the...










