New order of succession at USDA

Because folks in Washington actually like and care about this stuff, here's a look at the new order of succession at the Agriculture Department, as approved Thursday by President Obama.

Following the secretary and deputy secretary, here's the order of succession:

1.) Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration

2.) Undersecretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs

3.) Undersecretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

4.) Undersecretary of Agriculture for Food Safety

5.) Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment

6.) Undersecretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services

7.) Undersecretary of Agriculture for Rural Development

8.) Undersecretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics

9.) General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture

10.) Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary

11.) Director, Kansas City Commodity Office, Farm Service Agency

12.) State Executive Directors of the Farm Service Agency for the States of California, Iowa, and Kansas, in order of seniority fixed by length of unbroken service as State Executive Director of that State

13.) Regional Administrators of the Food and Nutrition Service for the Mountain Plains Regional Office (Denver, Colorado), Midwest Regional Office (Chicago, Illinois), and Western Regional Office (San Francisco, California), in order of seniority fixed by length of unbroken service as Regional Administrator of that Regional Office

14.) Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture

15.) Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights

16.) Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations