Robert Johansson
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Friday formally named Robert Johansson as the Agriculture Department’s chief economist.

Johansson has held the position on an acting basis since January 3 following the retirement of Joe Glauber.

As chief economist, Johansson is responsible for USDA’s agricultural forecasts and projections and for advising the secretary of Agriculture on economic implications of programs, regulations, and legislative proposals.

His management responsibilities include the Office of the Chief Economist, the World Agricultural Outlook Board, the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit analysis, the Global Change Program Office, and the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses.

He also serves as chairman of the Federal Crop Insurance board of directors.

Johansson, who joined USDA in 2001, became deputy chief economist in 2012.

He has also worked as an economist at USDA’s Economic Research Service, as well as in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget, and at the Congressional Budget Office.

In 2011, he was appointed senior economist for energy, environment, and agriculture on the President's Council of Economic Advisers, where he also participated on the White House Rural Council and the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

Johansson holds a doctoral degree and a master's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor of arts in economics from Northwestern University.

He served with the Peace Corps from 1990 to 1995 as an extension agent in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His research has spanned a wide range of issues, including biofuels policy, water quality and quantity policies, regulatory economics, food security, and regional modeling of agricultural systems, USDA said in a news release.