Bruce Knight has been an advisor for the DGA board since 2025. He is a nationally recognized expert on conservation, agriculture and the environment. As Principal and Founder of Strategic Conservation Solutions, LLC, a consultancy focused on conservation and sustainability issues related to agriculture, Bruce delivers common sense strategies, advice and direction to move clients forward in this space. He provides a unique perspective on the future of conservation policies, drawing on his experiences as a former association executive, lobbyist, regulator, Capitol Hill staffer, and a third-generation South Dakota rancher and farmer.

Bruce served in the George W. Bush Administration as Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2006-2009. From 2002 to 2006, he served as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the lead USDA agency for conservation on private working agricultural lands. Under his leadership, Bruce provided the strategic vision for the development, implementation and management of the largest expansion of working lands conservation programs in the agency’s history.

As an advisor to DGA, Bruce is interested in helping the board define and achieve its objectives to expand opportunities for the dairy grazing community.