The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing for two more Department of Agriculture political nominees next week. Committee leadership announced the hearing for Glen Smith, of Iowa, to be a Member of the Farm Credit Administration Board, and Stephen Vaden, of Tennessee, to be USDA General Counsel. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, November 9th, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Meanwhile, the nomination of Bill Northey as undersecretary for farm production and conservation remains on hold by Texas Republican Ted Cruz, as Cruz is demanding a meeting with the administration on the Renewable Fuel Standard. Northey's nomination breezed through the Senate Agriculture Committee last month, along with Greg Ibach as undersecretary of agriculture for marketing and regulatory programs. The Senate confirmed Ibach's nomination a week ago, and he was sworn in this week be Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.