<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Washington, DC</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Jordan Okumura<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">03.15.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The USDA has announced that Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan, will be leaving the department.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Today I am announcing that I will be leaving USDA,” Merrigan stated on the March 15. “I am grateful to President Obama for the opportunity to serve as Deputy Secretary and be part of his leadership team. I also want to thank the US Senate for its unanimous confirmation and the many members of Congress, particularly Chairman Leahy, with whom I have worked closely to ensure support for USDA programs.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Merrigan commented on the challenges of the role during her time at the department. “It has been an ambitious first term. From implementing the 2008 farm bill, improving school meals, expanding opportunities for American farmers, spending countless hours in the White House situation room, to shepherding USDA budgets through challenging times, it has been an honor to play a small part in history,” said Merrigan.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">She expressed hope that during her tenure she was able to help invite “new and discouraged constituencies to participate in USDA programs.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“With Secretary Vilsack at the helm, aided by very talented and dedicated USDA employees, I am able to leave fully confident that USDA will thrive and continue to improve its service to the American people," Merrigan concluded.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Bryan Silbermann, President and CEO of Produce Marketing Association responded to the announcement by the USDA Kathleen Merrigan’s departure, stating, "PMA applauds the work of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan and her support of the fresh produce industry. Deputy Secretary Merrigan has been a strong advocate for healthy eating and the affordability of fruits and vegetables, using both PMA’s and the USDA’s research to bust the myth that eating healthfully is expensive. In addition, she was a leading voice during USDA’s launch of the “MyPlate” communications campaign, which recommends making half your plate fruits and vegetables and offers the clearest, most actionable consumer advice in decades."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">He continues that she has remained a good friend to fresh produce and PMA throughout her tenure. The Deputy Secretary Merrigan carried the “MyPlate” message to a global audience in her address at PMA’s 2011 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. She has also been an agricultural leader and a role model to women in produce, inspiring a class of rising produce professionals at the PMA Foundation for Industry Talent’s Emerging Leaders Program in 2012, he reflects.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Mr. Silbermann, continues, “While Deputy Secretary Merrigan leaves a mark as an advocate for the National Organics Program that’s to be admired, she never wavered from her commitment to represent the voice of the entire agricultural industry. This true mark of leadership can be exemplified in her numerous meetings with PMA’s Government Affairs Committee and the open door she offered PMA and our members. PMA wishes Deputy Secretary Merrigan the successful continuation of her professional pursuits. We are proud to have had the opportunity to work alongside her, and PMA members’ businesses have benefited as a result."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome" target="_new">USDA</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
