As Hoosier Ag Today was first to report, Don Lamb will continue in his role as director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in the new Mike Braun administration. Lamb will work with Lt. Gov.-elect Micah Beckwith, who will serve as the state’s new Secretary of Agriculture.
Lamb tells Hoosier Ag Today that he’s honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve, but it’s not just him.
“I’m super proud of our team, and when I think about being asked to serve again in this role, I really look at that as ISDA was asked to continue to serve. It’s a team thing. I may get to be more like the quarterback, but it’s a team effort, and I’ve got so many good people around me at ISDA that we’re really hitting on all cylinders, and we enjoy working together.”
Lamb succeeded Bruce Kettler as ISDA director in March of 2023 knowing that he might have just over a year and a half in the position depending on how things worked out with the election. He says they’ll continue to drive home the importance of economic development for agriculture.
“If agriculture is not profitable, we really can’t do many of the other things that are so good for agriculture and our communities. So, lots of effort into international trade, and part of that’s because 20% of our farm income comes from exports. That’s such an important part of what we do that we have to keep an eye on that. So, we’re going to continue to be aggressive on international trade.”
Lamb has already traveled to Japan, Cuba, and Mexico in his short tenure as ISDA director to promote Indiana products.
On the other side of the coin is promoting products at home with the rapid growth of the Indiana Grown program housed inside ISDA.
“You think about the products that we produce right here locally in a county, and then maybe sell it in that same county. How do we get those products into schools? How do we get those products into hospitals and institutions? The whole idea of local food is not a fad. It’s just a market that really needs to be developed.”
You can hear the full HAT interview with Lamb about his vision for ISDA and the working relationship with the Braun/Beckwith administration below.
