Perdue will be in Indianapolis on Wednesday for the kickoff of the 90th annual FFA convention and expo.

In a statement, USDA secretary Sonny Perdue says McKinney will "wake up every morning seeking to sell more American agricultural products in foreign markets."

Perdue met in private with state lawmakers about the 2018 Farm Bill and reassured Hoosier farmers he'd protect their stake in the export economy.

Sens. Todd Young and Joe Donnelly announced Monday they will review applications for the two posts and make a joint recommendation to President Donald Trump, who then will select the nominees.

Ted McKinney has directed Indiana's Department of Agriculture since 2014, after working at Dow AgroSciences and Eli Lilly subsidiary Elanco.

Indianapolis Public Schools is trying a new way to get free lunch to students this summer.

Anne Hazlett helped create Indiana's Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

The department is reorganizing its trade and rural development programs, while the White House takes aim at those issues in its own way.

They hope former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue's background in commercial farming means he'll advocate for trade deals Trump has railed against.

Indiana farmers are harvesting a record amount of soybeans, but those gains are being offset by lower than expected corn yields.