U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky will lead a trade mission to West Africa, October 28-31, to help United States exporters unlock new opportunities in a region where strong economic growth is driving demand for imported food and farm products. The mission will be based in Accra, Ghana, and will also include buyer delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Senegal.

“At USDA we are working to sell the bounty of American agriculture. West Africa is a bright spot with a growing middle class that are hungry for our delicious and wholesome agriculture products,” said Deputy Secretary Censky. “Through this trade mission and other efforts, USDA is proud to support President Trump’s Prosper Africa initiative, which is seeking to boost two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa. Prosper Africa brings together the full range of U.S. government resources to connect U.S. and African businesses with new buyers, suppliers, and investment opportunities – a win for the United States and for countries across the African continent.”

Deputy Secretary Censky will be joined by Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Steve Wellman, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, officials from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and representatives from the following companies and organizations:

1. AFRO Plus Logistics, Bear, Delaware
2. American Premier Meat, Connersville, Indiana
3. American Soybean Association/World Initiative for Soy in Human Health, St. Louis, Missouri
4. Anna Carter’s The Seed Lady, Los Angeles, California
5. Archer Daniels Midland Company, Chicago, Illinois
6. Berkeley Capital Group, Inc, New York, New York
7. Crown Products, Inc, Metairie, Louisiana
8. CTB, Inc., Milford, Indiana
9. DAUUS Company, Bloomington, Minnesota
10. East West International Group, Inc, Moreland, Ohio
11. Fobrose Group, Houston, Texas
12. Geotan Enterprises, LLC, Humble, Texas
13. Ghantex Holdings Limited, Houston, Texas
14. Global Export Marketing Co. Ltd., New York, New York
15. Green Plains Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
16. Growth Energy, Washington, D.C.
17. Hills Harvest, College Park, Maryland
18. International Feed Corporation, Excelsior, Minnesota
19. I.P.P International, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
20. JBR International Trade Group, Inc., DuPont, Washington
21. Livestock Exporters Association of the USA, Chicago, Illinois
22. Marquis Energy, Hennepin, Illinois
23. Mariani Packing Company, Vacaville, California
24. National Swine Registry, West Lafayette, Indiana
25. Neil Jones Food Company, Vancouver, Washington
26. North Star Food Trading LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota
27. Now International, Bloomingdale, Illinois
28. Oakmont & Associates, Addison, Texas
29. Perdue Foods, Salisbury, Maryland
30. Steel City Global Trading, LLC, Enterprise, Alabama
31. St. Louis African Chamber of Commerce, St. Louis, Missouri
32. Tam Global Consultants, Portland, Oregon
33. Tomex Foods, Inc. Lombard, Illinois
34. Triad Fisheries Ltd, Portland, Oregon
35. U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
36. U.S. Grains Council, Washington, D.C.
37. U.S. Soybean Export Council, Chesterfield, Missouri
38. U.S. Wheat Associates, Arlington, Virginia
39. United Source One, Belcamp, Maryland
40. Virginia Natural Beef Inc., Lexington, Virginia
41. Wakava Food and Beverage, LLC, St. Louis, Missouri
42. Wygold LLC, Woodland, California

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky

Mr. Censky is the Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was sworn-in on October 11, 2017 after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Mr. Censky previously served for the past 21 years as CEO of the American Soybean Association, a national, not-for-profit trade association that represents United States soybean farmers on policy and trade. Mr. Censky began his career working as a legislative assistant for Senator Jim Abdnor (R-SD). Later he served in both the Reagan and George H. W. Bush Administrations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, eventually serving as Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service where he was involved in running our nation’s export programs. Mr. Censky received his B.S. in Agriculture from South Dakota State University and his Postgraduate Diploma in Agriculture Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia. He grew up on a soybean, corn, and diversified livestock farm near Jackson, Minnesota. He and his wife Carmen have two daughters in college.