FARGO — A North Dakota potato farmer and politician has been named the head of the U.S. Agriculture Department Rural Development in North Dakota.
Tom Campbell will serve as the state director for the national program meant to improve quality of life in rural areas, according to a news release the USDA issued Friday, May 2. The division oversees more than 50 financial assistance programs, including grants for rural business development, multifamily housing rental assistance and funding for community facilities.
Campbell co-founded Campbell Farms with his two brothers in Grafton, N.D. The farmers grow red, yellow and organic potatoes in North Dakota and Minnesota, which are then shipped across the county, according to its website.
In 2022, the potato business sold 2,100 acres of farmland in North Dakota’s Pembina and Walsh counties to an entity linked to
Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates,
according to reports from Agweek. The land went for $13.5 million, but Campbell told
Forum columnist Rob Port
that his family leased the money back.
Campbell was a North Dakota senator who served from 2013 to 2018. The Republican has made several failed attempts to seek an elected federal office
He planned to run for North Dakota’s U.S. Senate in 2018 against incumbent Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat. Campbell withdrew from the race when then-U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer, another Republican, joined the race.
Campbell then made a bid for Cramer’s position, only to be defeated at the State Republican Convention by North Dakota Sen. Kelly Armstrong, a Republican who represented Dickinson.
Rumors spread that he may run for governor in 2024 after then-Gov. Doug Burgum announced he would not seek reelection. Campbell instead ran for U.S. House after Armstrong decided to run for governor.
He ended his campaign in March 2024 after skipping the state convention, claiming he was
“threatened”
by fellow Republican Julie Fedorchak’s campaign for the same seat, Port reported. Campaign staff for Fedorchak, who ultimately won the seat, denied the allegations.
U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, who appointed Campbell, also chose Brad Thykeson to return to his spot as the Farm Service Agency executive director in North Dakota, according to the news release. He held the post during President Donald Trump’s first term, the release said.
The Portland, N.D., farmer raises soybeans, corn, wheat, and edible beans in Steele, Barnes and Traill counties. He serves as a board director of the American Soybean Association.
Campbell’s and Thykeson’s appointments were backed by North Dakota’s U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Cramer.
