U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has left the Secretary of Agriculture as the last department head to be named to his Cabinet, while a meeting with the chief executives of two agribusiness giants gave a hint at a roster of farm issues the incoming president will face, according to a Reuters report.
Trump met on Wednesday with the leaders of Monsanto Co and Bayer AG who pitched the benefits of their proposed $66 billion merger. While critical of other large tie-ups, Trump has not publicly taken a stance on the Bayer-Monsanto deal. The secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will not approve or reject the merger but will face the issue of industry consolidation.
Bayer CEO Werner Baumann and Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant had a “productive meeting with President-elect Trump and his team to share their views on the future of the agriculture industry and its need for innovation,” according to a statement issued by both companies.
Dow Chemical Co has proposed to merge with DuPont and China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) is seeking to acquire Syngenta AG .
Trade, environmental regulation and the 2018 federal farm bill are also expected to be at the top of the farm agenda once Trump takes office January 20, according to members of an agricultural advisory committee Trump formed during the campaign.
Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is Trump’s leading candidate to run the department, a senior Trump transition team official said last week. Trump has also met with Elsa Murano, undersecretary of agriculture for food safety under President George W. Bush, and Chuck Conner, head of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
He has also talked with Abel Maldonado, former lieutenant governor of California and co-owner of Runway Vineyards; Tim Huelskamp, former Republican U.S. representative from Kansas; and Sid Miller, Texas agriculture commissioner.
Trump’s committee wants someone who is familiar with day-to-day farm life, can open up new markets for trade and will pressure federal regulators to ease environmental restrictions, according to a dozen committee members interviewed by Reuters.
