You may have seen the news online – Donald Trump plans to appoint Sam Clovis as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE). Since 2008, this position has been synonymous with the title of “Chief Scientist” of the USDA. Sam Clovis is not a scientist, and no, it makes no sense to appoint a non-scientist as chief scientist of a major government research organization. But before we panic, let’s take a look at what the RRE actually does, who has led this group in the past, and how Mr. Clovis’s skills might fit in with the agency’s mission.Continue reading…
