A Latina is in contention to be Trump Secretary of Agriculture
*Elsa Murano, 57, is a former undersecretary of Agriculture. The Cuban-born Texan is a former President of Texas A&M University. VL
By Chris Clayton, The Progressive Farmer (3 minute read) 
OMAHA (DTN) — The search for a new Agriculture secretary continues to broaden as President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team said Thursday that he will meet next week with Elsa Murano, a former Texas A&M president and a USDA undersecretary for food safety under President George W. Bush.
A Texan has never served as U.S. Agriculture secretary, but Trump and the transition team seem focused on Texans as possible Agriculture secretary picks. Besides Murano, Susan Combs, former Texas agriculture commissioner and comptroller, met with Vice President-elect Mike Pence earlier this week. Further, a spokesman for current Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told DTN Thursday that Miller also is planning to travel either to New York or Florida next week to meet about the Ag secretary post.
“Commissioner Miller has had multiple conversations with Chairman (Reince) Preibus about meeting,” said Todd Smith, a political consultant for Miller. “He was notified yesterday that he will meet between Christmas and New Year’s. I’m sure Commissioner Miller will go wherever he is asked to go to facilitate that meeting.”
Read more stories like this in NewsTaco. >>
But in Thursday morning’s daily transition briefing call, Jason Miller, spokesman for the presidential transition team, specifically said Murano would meet with Trump next week about the Agriculture secretary position. Responding to a question regarding Murano, Miller said, “I don’t have additional information on how Ms. Murano came to the president-elect’s attention other than to say she comes very highly recommended from the information I have, and obviously her track record of running a major university really speaks for itself.”
[Photo by ILRI/Flickr]
