Innovation in Global Agriculture in the Twenty-first Century

Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer has served as an elected official, business executive, and entrepreneur. As governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000, Schafer worked to promote trade relations with China and develop that nation as an export market for North Dakota farm products. He also led efforts to upgrade the state's communications infrastructure and make high-speed voice and data networks available to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses. Schafer was elected chair of the Republican Governors Association in 2000 and that same year cofounded the Governors Biotechnology Partnership. Before entering public life, he was a business executive with the Gold Seal Company in Bismarck. He also cofounded Extend America to provide wireless voice and high-speed data services in five rural Midwestern states.