US Agriculture Department appoints new chief economist

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has named Justin Benavidez as the agency’s chief economist, succeeding Seth Meyer, who is retiring.

Benavidez comes to the role from Capitol Hill, where he served as chief economist for the House Agriculture Committee’s majority staff. He previously worked as an agricultural economist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, the educational outreach arm of Texas A&M University.

In the new position, Benavidez will be responsible for leading economic analysis and forecasting at

and ensuring agency’s policies and programs are informed by sound, data-driven economic research.

Meyer, who held the post since 2021, helped to steer USDA’s economic analysis through a period of volatile commodity markets and global supply chain disruptions.

Commenting on Benavidez’s appointment U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Benavidez brings strong policy experience and deep ties to production agriculture as USDA pledges to keep farmers “first.”