BATON ROUGE-  Governor Bobby Jindal announced the appointment of Brian Graugnard, of St. James to the Agriculture Finance Authority.

Graugnard is a sugar cane farmer and was nominated by the President of the Senate Joel Chaisson.

The Agriculture Finance Authority serves to undertake or authorize the completion of studies and analyses of agricultural conditions, the needs relating to the promotion of agricultural exports, and ways of meeting such needs and to make such studies and analyses available to the public and to the agricultural industry.

According to statute, the board is comprised of eight gubernatorial appointments and Commissioner Mike Strain of Louisiana Department of Agriculture will serve as an ex-officio member. Two members must be selected from the nominations by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, two members must be selected from the nominations by the Louisiana Bankers Association, two members must be selected from the nominations by the President of the Senate, and two members must be selected from the nominations by Speaker of the House of Representatives. The appointments are subject to senate confirmation.