August Ruckdeschel currently works in the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning as the Farmland and Open Space Coordinator and Economic Development Specialist in the Agriculture & Marine industries. In this capacity, he has drafted and passed legislation to expand economic opportunities for shellfish farmers and land-based farmers on preserved Suffolk County farmland. He has written grants securing approximately $3.8 million in funding for the agricultural and fishing industries. He helped launch the “Choose LI – Local and Independent” initiative, a collaborative effort to inspire Suffolk County residents to spend more money on local food and beverages.

Mr. Ruckdeschel is the sole author/editor of Suffolk County’s Agricultural and Fishing website content and the County’s Agriculture & Fishing E-Newsletter, which has nearly 2,500 subscribers. He is a co-author of the 2015 Suffolk County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Plan and the primary author of the Suffolk County Agricultural Stewardship Plan. Mr. Ruckdeschel also serves as the Chair of the Suffolk County Food Policy Council and the Suffolk County Aquaculture Leasing Board. Mr. Ruckdeschel teaches a Masters-level class entitled Food Policy and Health Outcomes in the United States at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine.

Mr. Ruckdeschel is a former Long Island vegetable farmer with a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA and a Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Colorado in Boulder.