Tricia Kovacs has been appointed Deputy Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service Transportation and Marketing Program.

The Transportation and Marketing Program supports local and regional food systems and increasing consumer access to fresh foods in their communities. TM’s programs, grants and services help small- and mid-sized producers with marketing opportunities through the combination of applied research, technical services and grant support. The program also serves as the expert source for economic analysis on agricultural transportation from farm to markets through transportation market reports, regulatory representation and technical assistance.

“As the agency’s policy advisor on local and regional food systems, and then as the Acting Associate Deputy Administrator of the Transportation and Marketing Program, Tricia Kovacs has brought a wealth of expertise and first-hand experience to AMS’ efforts to support local and regional food systems across the country,” said AMS Administrator Bruce Summers.

Kovacs has worked with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service since 2016 when she served as the agency’s local and regional food systems policy advisor. In that role, she coordinated efforts across USDA to support the local and regional food sector—including direct-to-consumer, farm-to-institution, and regional processing, aggregation, and distribution. She has played a lead role in coordinating AMS and Rural Development implementation of the Local Agriculture Markets Program as authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.

Prior to joining USDA, Tricia managed Regional Markets programs at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, where she was founding Program Manager for the state Farm to School Program and led the Small Farm Direct Marketing Program.

Kovacs holds a Master of Science in Sustainability, Planning, and Environmental Policy from Cardiff University in Wales and a BA from University of Virginia.

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