Chairman Bozeman convened the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on the nomination of Richard Fordyce to be Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Fordyce, a lifelong farmer from Missouri and a former Farm Service Agency administrator, told the committee his career has been guided by a commitment to agriculture: "Since I was 5 years old, I knew I wanted to be a farmer," he said in opening remarks. He took the oath and pledged, when asked if he would appear before duly constituted Senate committees if confirmed, "I will."

The committee’s opening statements framed the nomination around immediate challenges in the farm economy and USDA program delivery. Chairman Bozeman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar both cited the role of FPAC agencies in delivering disaster relief, conservation programs and credit to producers. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri introduced Fordyce, noting his farm background and service in state and federal agricultural roles.

Fordyce described priorities he would pursue if confirmed: modernizing agency tools and technology, improving the timeliness and fairness of disaster payments, expanding outreach to young and beginning farmers and strengthening partnerships with private and academic researchers. "Disaster payments are 1 such critical tool, and my commitment is to align them with the goals set forth by President Trump and Congress, making them more timely, fair, and impactful," he said.

Committee members on both sides of the aisle offered support and pressed Fordyce on specifics. Senators sought commitments on oversight responsiveness, program implementation, staff capacity at county FSA offices and the equitable distribution of recent emergency funds. Fordyce repeatedly committed to working with the committee and, where he lacked immediate detail, pledged to investigate and report back.

The hearing included requests for letters of support to be entered into the record and closed with the chairman noting the record would remain open for two business days. No committee vote on the nomination was recorded during the hearing.

The nomination will proceed through the committee record and any subsequent executive-business meeting where the committee may order the nomination reported to the full Senate.

Fordyce's hearing brought into focus short-term priorities for FPAC implementation and longer-term modernization tasks for FSA, NRCS and RMA, agencies he said he would support if confirmed.