Redding Appointed to USDA Equity Commission Subcommittee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding will serve on the USDA Equity Commission's Subcommittee on Agriculture, becoming one of 15 members to provide insight on equity in agriculture and federal farm, conservation, and extension programs.

"We must feed equality to feed the future. To feed the future, we must also ensure that our departments of agriculture, including the USDA, are available to all," said Redding. "As a nation, state, and industry, our strength is our diversity. To truly honor this diversity, we need to remove barriers to this economic powerhouse."

The first commission of its kind, the USDA Equity Commission and its Subcommittee on Agriculture will provide recommendations on policies, programs and actions needed to address equity issues, including racial equity issues, within USDA and its programs. The Commission will work to strengthen accountability and provide recommendations to empower USDA to serve its customers more fairly and equitably.

Since joining the Wolf Administration in 2015, Secretary Redding has underscored that agriculture is zip code neutral and worked to strengthen equity within the commonwealth's food system:

• Redding spearheaded the development of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, including the Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant program which has invested more than $1.5 million in projects addressing food system injustices and food apartheid.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, he advocated for the Fresh Food Financing Initiative to ensure that low-income and underserved communities were able to maintain access to healthy food.
• Following the killing of George Floyd and civil unrest that followed, Redding made his most direct statement on the need to break down barriers and directly combat the injustices of racism.
• In 2020, as he watched his former colleague Dr. Rachel Levine navigate a worldwide pandemic and simultaneously face hate for who she is, he could not be silent.
• Within the PA Department of Agriculture, Redding commissioned the Project JUST (Justice, Unity, Solidarity and Tolerance) Committee to maintain a working environment that addresses discrimination and endorses respect, professionalism, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Redding has prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion work through listening sessions, outreach and programming, including programming at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
• In 2021, he submitted comments to USDA to advance racial justice and equity for underserved communities.
• Redding brought diversity, equity and inclusion in agriculture to the national forefront, amending policy for the National Association of States Department of Agriculture (NASDA) to prioritize equity across state agriculture departments in all 50 states.

In 2021, Redding spearheaded the formal establishment of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Week in Pennsylvania, the first state in the nation to formally recognize the academic and professional advancement of minorities in agriculture and the food system.