Gender scandal in the US agricultural sector: Trump administration blocks appointment of female farmers to soybean board

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rejected the nominations of five female farmers elected by industry organizations to the United Soybean Board and appointed men to replace them.

The decision has sparked community criticism and suspicions that the gender of the candidates may have been the reason, according to Reuters.

“It seems like a small thing. But in other ways, it’s a really big deal because it’s just another issue of how I think this administration views women and what their role should be,” said Wisconsin farmer Sarah Stelter, whose nomination was rejected.

The United Soybean Board manages millions in soybean research and marketing budgets. The government typically only formally approves candidates nominated by farmers on the ground, so this intervention is unprecedented.

After the Trump administration last year rolled back equal pay initiatives introduced by the previous administration and slashed programs aimed at combating inequality, the number of women on the 77-member United Soybean Council has fallen to five, the lowest level in at least a decade. Although women make up more than a third of U.S. farmers, they hold fewer leadership positions.

The soybean regulator has already appointed people to its executive committee and to positions responsible for communications and the organization’s $121 million budget. None of the 40 new and reappointed directors are women.

The Virginia Soybean Council has already filed an appeal against the USDA’s decision, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, neither the Department of Agriculture nor the White House provided detailed explanations for the rejection of the women’s candidacies, and the ministry noted that they select members of the Joint Council at their own discretion.

Tags: soybean, USA