Interim directors have been named to head the state agriculture agencies in Indiana and Nebraska, after the agency heads from both states were appointed to leadership positions within the United States Department of Agriculture.
Melissa Rekeweg has been named the interim director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), while Mat Habrock has been named the interim director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA).
Rekeweg succeeds Ted McKinney, who has been confirmed as the USDA under secretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. Habrock succeeds Greg Ibach, who has been confirmed as the USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs.
Melissa Rekeweg
Rekeweg was appointed as ISDA’s deputy director in 2014 before being named the interim director. Prior to her service with ISDA, she had roles as a middle school and high school agriculture instructor, and as the Indiana FFA executive director. She also serves on the Purdue Land Use Team Advisory Committee and chairs the Indiana Land Resources Council, according to the ISDA website.
Mat Habrock is the interim director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture | Photo from LinkedIn
Mat Habrock
Habrock, prior to his appointment as interim director of the NDA, served as the agency’s assistant director. He held that position since April 2016. Before that, he served as a communications manager for DuPont Pioneer and as a field services director for the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Northey remains as Iowa ag secretary
A third state agriculture secretary has been nominated for a position within the USDA, but has yet to assume the role. President Donald Trump has appointed Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey to become the under secretary for farm production and conservation, and that nomination was advanced by the Senate Agriculture Committee on the same day it advanced Ibach’s nomination, but Northey has so far not been confirmed by the full U.S. Senate.
