By JIM RUTLEDGE D.C. Correspondent WASHINGTON, D.C. — If confirmed by the Senate to be the nation’s top USDA scientist, a leading DowDuPont farm pesticide expert will become the third major executive from the company’s pesticide/seed division to join the federal agency. Scott H. Hutchins, 59, the current global leader of integrated field sciences at DowDuPont’s agricultural division, Corteva Agriscience – where his focus has been on chemical solutions fighting farm pests – was nominated by President Trump on July 16 to be the USDA’s Undersecretary of Research, Education and Economics (REE). In April, the Senate confirmed Ken Isley, a 30-year veteran at Corteva, to head the agriculture department’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Seven months earlier, Ted McKinney, another Dow veteran, won confirmation as the agency’s undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. For nearly two decades until 2009, he was a top Dow lobbyist. The Hutchins nomination comes nine months after previous Trump nominee and onetime conservative talk radio host Sam Clovis, also a former Trump campaign advisor, was forced to withdraw from consideration following a torrent of Senate criticism for his controversial views, including climate change skepticism, and lack of scientific qualifications. The USDA position requires the under secretary post to have a background in science, which Clovis did not. The post has been vacant since Trump took office 18 months ago. Hutchins, of Indiana, has been with Dow AgroSciences since earning his doctorate in entomology 31 years ago from Iowa State University, where he was an expert focused on the effects of insect-induced injury on alfalfa, the third-most valuable crop produced in the United States. He also currently serves as an adjunct in the Entomology Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was president of the Entomological Society of America in 2007. “I am very excited by the selection of Dr. Hutchins for this leadership role,” USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said. “His extensive background in research and commitment to sound science and data makes him exceptionally qualified for this post.” Gary Brewer, head of UNL’s Entomology Department, praised the selection, saying, “It would be very appropriate for Scott to be the chief scientist at the USDA. Entomology is a cross-cutting scientific discipline spanning biology, agriculture, genetics, ecology and public health.” His career, Brewer said, shows Hutchins’ “diverse scientific background and deep professional experience.” The USDA stated in an email to Farm World that Hutchins is “not available for interviews at this time.” Hutchins did not respond to emails sent to his university office and could not be reached through Corteva. If confirmed, he would head a $2.8 billion research budget that includes $700 million for research facilities and its support for more than 100 land-grant universities. Also included under the title is the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), with 6,500 employees working on 690 research projects at 90 top research locations across the country and in several foreign countries. Trump has proposed cutting billions of dollars from the USDA’s $140 billion 2019 budget, including staff cuts at the ARS and shutting down 20 research centers, but Congress to date has refused to approve his plan. Perdue said with Hutchins’ selection, the USDA “now has four highly qualified nominees awaiting action in the Senate Agriculture Committee. It is my hope the committee moves expeditiously to consider these highly qualified individuals as soon as possible.” Under consideration are Mindy Brashears of Texas for under secretary for Food Safety; James F. Hubbard of Colorado for under secretary of Natural Resources and Environment; Naomi C. Earp, of Maryland as assistant secretary for Civil Rights; and Hutchins. Awaiting a Senate vote is general counsel nominee Stephen V. Vaden, who was voted out of committee last November and has been waiting for a full Senate vote for nearly nine months. According to Politico, Vaden’s nomination is opposed by more than 250 legal professionals who work in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) at the USDA. A Senate Ag Committee vote was scheduled for July 24 on Hubbard’s nomination. |
