Washington, D.C. Dec. 23, 2024. Exactly a month after President-elect Donald Trump nominated his former policy advisor, Brooke Rollins, to serve as the next U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, he has nominated Stephen Vaden, a judge on the Court of International Trade who served as general counsel for USDA during his first administration, to be the department’s deputy secretary. The American Soybean Association congratulates Vaden and appreciates his experience during the previous Trump administration, including implementing the 2018 Farm Bill and regulatory reform, his commitment to the field of law and background being part of and serving the needs of rural communities

ASA Chief Executive Officer Stephen Censky, who served in the position under then-Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, said of the announcement, “I had the great pleasure of working with Stephen during the last Trump administration. He is one of the smartest people I know, knows well the many services USDA provides, and has a key understanding of White House and other processes. I have no doubt that American agriculture will be very well served by Stephen when confirmed.”

Vaden comes from a farm family, sharing the significance of being a farmer to his father—and tenets he thus developed for his own career—during 2017 testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee in his confirmation hearing: “Throughout his life, [my father] also was a grocer, an investor, and a real estate developer. But it was the title of farmer of which he was most proud. I know this because he placed that title— “Farmer”—below his name on every check I ever saw him sign. The last three checks he ever signed hang on my wall, framed, as a reminder of the responsibilities I bear as principal deputy general counsel to ensure that America’s producers are treated fairly, equitably, and in accordance with the law.”

ASA looks forward to working with Rollins and Vaden on priorities ranging from farm bill to biotechnology, biofuels support to agricultural trade, among other issues that impact soy growers and agriculture at large.