Senate Confirms Glen Smith to Lead USDA Rural Development

Former Farm Credit Administration CEO Glen Smith wins Senate confirmation as USDA undersecretary for rural development, ending a vacancy that began in January 2025 and putting rural credit and cybersecurity on the early agenda.

Why Smith’s Confirmation Ends a Long USDA Rural Development Vacancy

The Senate has confirmed Iowan Glen Smith as undersecretary for rural development at USDA, filling a leadership post that had been empty since January 2025. Smith enters the role after serving as chief executive of the Farm Credit Administration during the first Trump administration and later as an FCA board member and chairman of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.

The nomination moved through the Senate Agriculture Committee in June after a hearing last November, and the final confirmation drew public praise from Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, a senior committee member, and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig. The Farm Credit Administration said Smith’s record reflected a commitment to the long-term strength and stability of rural credit markets.

For rural America, the confirmation matters because USDA Rural Development directs loans, grants and guarantees for housing, utilities, broadband and business development. Smith’s confirmation hearing previewed two issues likely to shape his tenure: improving USDA loan functions and protecting rural water and power systems from cyberattacks, a concern highlighted by an FBI/EPA alert reporting degraded water operations across at least a dozen states.

What Glen Smith’s Farm Credit and Cybersecurity Background Signals for Rural Programs

A Farm Credit Background That Signals Continuity in Rural Lending

Smith’s confirmation brings agricultural finance experience into a department that manages a sprawling portfolio of rural credit and infrastructure programs. His tenure as FCA CEO and chairman of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation suggests he is likely to emphasize underwriting discipline and stability among rural lenders; Grassley publicly framed Smith as someone who knows rural Iowa and said he had pressed him on improving USDA loan functions. The practical question for borrowers and lenders is how much FCA-style risk-management discipline moves into Rural Development loan and guarantee programs.

Cybersecurity Conditions Are the Most Concrete Early Signal

The strongest forward-looking commitment came during Smith’s confirmation hearing, when he told committee chairman John Boozman that rural grid vulnerability “scares the bejesus out of me” and that Rural Development programs should include adequate cybersecurity measures for new loans, guarantees and grants. That is not a generic promise: the FBI and EPA warned in late July that water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states—now at least a dozen—reported incidents, some of which degraded operations. The likely practical effect is that future USDA Rural Development-funded water, broadband and energy projects will face closer scrutiny of network and operational security before funding is approved.

Who Is Positioning for the New Undersecretary’s Agenda

The Plant Based Products Council explicitly said it is eager to partner with Smith, citing his financial background and understanding of rural America. Iowa officials see a direct ally for rural development in their state. Those statements suggest that bioeconomy and farm-state groups are preparing to compete for attention as the undersecretary sets program priorities, while rural water utilities may face new compliance expectations tied to the FBI/EPA cybersecurity alert.

What Rural Utilities, Borrowers and Farm Groups Should Prepare For

For stakeholders with exposure to USDA Rural Development programs, the confirmation creates a set of practical, near-term signals.

Rural water and wastewater utilities should treat the FBI/EPA alert as an operational planning input and expect USDA Rural Development to ask how new loans, guarantees and grants will secure distribution and control systems, based on Smith’s hearing testimony.
Rural Development loan and grant applicants should prepare cybersecurity documentation early—covering network access, remote control systems and incident response—for water, broadband and other critical infrastructure projects rather than waiting for formal guidance.
Plant-based products and rural bioeconomy companies can use the Plant Based Products Council’s public offer of partnership to shape early engagement with Smith’s office on shared priorities.
Iowa farm, credit and community groups have a direct channel through Senator Grassley and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Naig, both of whom have publicly committed to working with Smith, and can seek early clarity on state-specific projects.
Agricultural lenders and Farm Credit System participants should watch whether Smith’s FCA background translates into changes to USDA loan servicing or guarantee requirements, since Grassley specifically raised the need to improve loan functions at the department.

Risk & Opportunity Assessment

Commercial Risk	Medium	If cybersecurity conditions are attached to USDA Rural Development loans, guarantees and grants as Smith indicated, rural water, broadband and infrastructure borrowers may face added compliance costs and longer project timelines before new guidance is issued.
Competitive Risk	Low	No program funding shifts are announced, but the Plant Based Products Council’s eagerness to partner suggests bioeconomy groups may gain early access to the new undersecretary’s agenda, while other rural program interests have not yet signaled equivalent access.
Regulatory Risk	Medium	Smith committed at his hearing to cybersecurity protections for any Rural Development contribution, and the FBI/EPA alert citing degraded water operations in at least a dozen states creates pressure for USDA to issue stricter program conditions or new policy tools.
Reputation Risk	Low	For USDA, the confirmation resolves a leadership gap that had persisted since January 2025, but the public visibility of rural water cyberattacks will test whether Rural Development can translate Smith’s warning into enforceable program safeguards.
Technology Disruption	High	Smith described rural grid vulnerability as ‘very huge’ and warned that attackers are more likely to act through computers than physical sabotage; cybersecurity is the central technology risk for Rural Development-funded infrastructure.
Commercial Opportunity	Medium	Rural credit markets gain a USDA undersecretary with Farm Credit Administration and insurance corporation leadership experience, and plant-based product groups see a partnership opening, but no specific funding expansion or program change has been announced.