President Donald Trump has nominated a northern Indiana agribusinessman to be the nation's next ambassador of agriculture to the United Nations.
If the U.S. Senate confirms Kip Tom for the post, he would be based in Rome and oversee three U.N. agencies based there. His title would be U.S. Representative to the U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture.
Tom is chief executive officer of Tom Farms, which is based in the Kosciusko County town of Leesburg and grows corn and soybeans in seven northern Indiana counties.
According to a White House press release, Tom has agribusiness experience in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The Journal Gazette reports Tom says in an email that he looks "forward to representing the administration and our country" if confirmed.
Tom ran unsuccessfully in the 2016 Republican primary election for northeastern Indiana's 3rd District, losing to eventual U.S. Rep. Jim Banks.