White served as Montana State Conservationist from 2002 to 2008 and previously worked in Washington for the Senate agriculture committee, where he helped craft the Conservation Title for both the 2002 and 2008 farm bills. He also served on the White House task force for livable communities during the Clinton administration.
White was praised by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, for his career of service and conservationism.
“I am confident that his experiences will serve him well as he assumes leadership of USDA’s conservation efforts and carries out the conservation initiatives of the new farm bill,” Harkin said.
NRCS is the nation's leading agency in conserving natural resources on private lands. The agency has an annual budget of $3 billion and 12,000 employees.
Established in 1935 as the Soil Conservation Service, NRCS emphasizes “voluntary, science-based conservation and technical assistance, incentive-based programs, and partnership conservation at the local level,” the USDA said.
