Director, National Operations Division

Joseph J. Prusacki

Picture of Joseph Prusacki, Director of the National Operations Division

Joe Prusacki is the director of NASS's National Operations Division in St. Louis, MO. He grew up on a small crop and hog farm in Perry County, Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Agribusiness-Economics from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and a Master of Science in Applied Statistics from Purdue University.

Prusacki began his NASS career in 1984, working in the Tennessee and then Indiana field offices. In 1992, he transferred to Washington, D.C. where he held several positions at NASS headquarters, and worked on a wide range of surveys as well as the Census of Agriculture. In 2004, he was named chief of the NASS Crops Branch. In this capacity, he served as a permanent member of the Agriculture Statistics Board and was responsible for the NASS crop statistics estimation program, which includes the monthly and annual Crop Production, quarterly Grain Stocks, Prospective Plantings and Acreage reports. His duties included presenting the monthly Crop Production report briefings to the Secretary of Agriculture.

In 2006, Prusacki transferred to Des Moines, Iowa to become director of the Iowa Field Office. He returned to Washington in April 2008 to join the Senior Executive Service team as Statistics Division director. During his tenure in that position, ProFarmer magazine named Prusacki their 2010 Ag Person of the Year. In March 2014, Prusacki became the director of NASS's National Operations Division.

Prusacki is a 2004 graduate of the USDA's Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program and was detailed to the President's Council of Economic Advisors from November 2003 to March 2004.

Last Modified: 12/29/2020