Farmer named USDA adviser
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently appointed Dewayne Goldmon as senior adviser for racial equity to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Goldmon’s family was the 2019 Jefferson County Farm Family of the Year and the Southeast District Farm Family of the Year.
Goldmon has served for the past year as executive director of the National Black Growers Council, a Washington, D.C.,-based organization that advocates to improve the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of Black row crop farmers, according to a news release.
He has more than 30 years of experience in the agricultural sector and is also a farmer in Southeast Arkansas. Before joining the National Black Growers Council, he helped to form the organization and served as its initial advisor.
“We need to accelerate a transformation of our food system, and that begins with embracing a call for racial justice and equity across food, agriculture and rural America,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “With Dewayne’s guidance, we will build a USDA that represents and serves all Americans — a USDA that is committed to ensuring equity across the department; removing barriers to access and rooting out systemic discrimination; and building a workforce that reflects all of America.”
Goldmon received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas and his Ph.D. from Iowa State University, all in agronomy. After four years as a field researcher with American Cyanamid (acquired by BASF), he joined Monsanto Company (acquired by Bayer Crop Sciences) in 1995, according to the release.
He held various positions in technology development, where he conducted research on all southern row crops and managed research and development trials in soybeans, rice and cotton. Later in his career, he worked on Monsanto’s government affairs team and in human resources, retiring as the Outreach Lead for Bayer Crop Sciences in 2019.
Throughout his education and career, he has worked on diversity initiatives and maintained working relationships with several land-grant universities and community-based organizations.
USDA also announced the appointment of Andy Green as senior advisor for fair and competitive markets. Most recently, Green served as a senior fellow for economic policy at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.