(Photo by Bret Jaspers - KJZZ)

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

An important federal position that runs agriculture programs in Arizona is still unfilled.

The job of putting in place federal agriculture policy in a state falls to the Farm Service Agency Executive Director. Each state has one, but at the moment, Arizona has an acting director while it waits on a political appointee.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the Trump administration is close to making a pick.

“We’ve had just a little minor challenge, but we hope to have that announced very quickly,” Perdue said. “We need them out in the field. Obviously this is a state leadership position over farm programs and we’re gonna try to deliver that as soon as possible.”

Perdue didn’t elaborate on the specific challenge.

“We’re vetting all these people through the White House, and we’re not totally [in] control of our destiny,” he said.

Perdue spoke to reporters at the Western Governors Association meeting in Phoenix. He said getting leaders installed is important, but so is getting the right leaders in place.

Critics of the Trump administration say it’s left many important federal jobs unfilled across several departments.