Project Description

Deputy Administrator, Transportation & Marketing, Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Tricia Kovacs is the Deputy Administrator for Transportation and Marketing in USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), a position she has held since 2020. She leads programs that support local and regional food systems, grants to support market access for farmers, USDA’s Regional Food Business Centers, and research and data analysis on agricultural transportation and markets. Tricia joined USDA in 2016 as local and regional food systems policy advisor, where she coordinated efforts across USDA to support the local and regional food sector. In 2021-2022, she held a 1-year assignment as a Senior Policy Advisor for Agriculture and Rural Policy at the White House Domestic Policy Council. Prior to joining USDA, Tricia managed Regional Markets programs at Washington State Department of Agriculture, where she was founding Program Manager for the state Farm to School Program and led the Small Farm Direct Marketing Program.

Session: Transforming Food Systems From the Ground Up

In June 2022, Secretary Vilsack announced details of a USDA framework to transform the food system. The framework, built on the lessons of the pandemic, represents a holistic and historic investment in strengthening food systems throughout the supply chain and across the country, including a strong focus on building markets for small- and mid-sized farms. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has long focused on supporting local food systems and growing direct-to-consumer markets through programs like the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and is now playing a central role implementing USDAs Food System Transformation Framework, including Regional Food Business Centers.

Tricia Kovacs, Deputy Administrator at AMS, will provide conference attendees with an overview of how the agency is combining traditional programs like FMPP with these historic new investments, programs, and services to help farmers markets expand their critical role in transforming local food systems.