<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Washington, D.C.</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3.28.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The USDA has announced that Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager will depart the organization on May 3.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"After spending twelve gratifying years in leadership positions at the United States Department of Agriculture, I have decided to move on to the next chapter in my life,” said Tonsager.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">I am enormously proud of USDA's record accomplishments – especially those of my colleagues at Rural Development. In recent years, Rural Development has carried out more work to help rural communities than at any other time in the agency's history. We have provided affordable, quality housing in rural America, helped tens of thousands of rural businesses, and played a key role in helping rural Americans create homegrown energy. We've achieved these results with a shrinking staff and an uncertain budget, but I never questioned the commitment of our team at Rural Development. Leading this group of 5,000 talented men and women has been an honor.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">As someone who has spent a lifetime working to strengthen rural America, I am excited about the future of farm country. My sincere thanks to President Obama and Secretary Vilsack for providing me this opportunity. I look forward to collaborating with them and all of my friends as we continue to serve rural America."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Tonsager noted that he has spent almost 17 years in the federal government, including eight years as South Dakota state rural development director under President Bill Clinton, five years on the board of directors of the Farm Credit Administration, and four years as undersecretary, according to The Hagstrom Report.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack commented, “Dallas Tonsager's efforts as Under Secretary for Rural Development have helped increase opportunity for thousands of rural families, businesses and communities. Dallas's service to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Obama Administration was the latest part of a distinguished career of service to agriculture and rural America. I'm proud of the work we have achieved together and I wish Dallas the best in his future endeavors."</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2013/03/0055.xml&navid=NEWS_RELEASE&navtype=RT&parentnav=LATEST_RELEASES&edeployment_action=retrievecontent" target="_new">USDA </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
