Dallas Tonsager
Agriculture Undersecretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager announced today that he would resign on May 3.

Tonsager, who co-chaired the private sector rural and agriculture Obama campaign committee in 2008, told The Hagstrom Report today he had decided that four more years as undersecretary would be “a bit much.”

Tonsager said he does not plan to retire and that he is pursuing opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Tonsager, a South Dakotan, also said that he plans to remain in the Washington area, “although I might go home and plant corn this spring.”

Tonsager noted that he has spent almost 17 years in the federal government, including eight years as South Dakota state rural development director under President Bill Clinton, five years on the board of directors of the Farm Credit Administration, and four years as undersecretary.

Tonsager said he had recently gone through the rural plan developed for the 2008 Obama campaign and had taken “great pleasure of how much we accomplished.”

In an official statement, Tonsager said, “After spending 12 gratifying years in leadership positions at the United States Department of Agriculture, I have decided to move on to the next chapter in my life.”

“I am enormously proud of USDA’s record accomplishments – especially those of my colleagues at Rural Development,” he said.

“In recent years, Rural Development has carried out more work to help rural communities than at any other time in the agency’s history,” Tonsager said. “We have provided affordable, quality housing in rural America, helped tens of thousands of rural businesses, and played a key role in helping rural Americans create homegrown energy. We’ve achieved these results with a shrinking staff and an uncertain budget, but I never questioned the commitment of our team at Rural Development. Leading this group of 5,000 talented men and women has been an honor.”

Tonsager also thanked President Barack Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for the opportunity to serve and added, “I look forward to collaborating with them and all of my friends as we continue to serve rural America.”

Vilsack commented on Tonsager’s departure in the same news release.

“Dallas Tonsager’s efforts as undersecretary for Rural Development have helped increase opportunity for thousands of rural families, businesses and communities,” Vilsack said.

“Dallas’s service to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Obama Administration was the latest part of a distinguished career of service to agriculture and rural America. I’m proud of the work we have achieved together and I wish Dallas the best in his future endeavors,” Vilsack said.

Tonsager noted that May 3, the day he will depart, is also the 20th anniversary of his first federal employment. May 3 is also the day that Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will leave her post.

The Rural Development division of the Agriculture Department includes the Rural Utilities Service and in the Obama administration has pursued biofuels development. It has a portfolio of business, housing, and infrastructure loans totaling more than $174 billion, and provides an estimated $20 billion annually to support economic and community development in rural America.