Governors Association. He did not seek reelection as governor in 2000. Work life and political activities in the 2000s Schafer was co-founder and CEO of Extend America, a start-up wireless communications company he founded after leaving office as governor. In 2002 Schafer was appointed as civilian aide to the United States Secretary of the Army. Schafer was a frequent guest host of the Hot Talk radio program on WDAY-AM in Fargo, North Dakota. Before his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture, Schafer served as an advisor and occasional spokesperson for the North Dakota chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group backed by the Koch Brothers. Ed Schafer became a supporter of the North Dakota Taxpayers' Association, serving as an advisor and a keynote speaker. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture In October 2007 Schafer was nominated by then-President George W. Bush to be the next Secretary of Agriculture. Schafer had wide support in the Senate. His hearing was originally scheduled for January 30, 2008, but was moved up by request of North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad so that Schafer could attend the State of the Union address as a cabinet member. That confirmation hearing was held on January 24, with senators asking Schafer questions on various topics such as US beef exports to Japan and South Korea, the Department of Agriculture's ability to deliver on programs passed by Congress, policy on sugar, and cotton prices. On January 28 he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Later that day, as Secretary of Agriculture, Schafer attended the State of the Union Address with other members of the President's cabinet. Schafer was in office for less than two days when a major scandal erupted concerning animal cruelty and unsafe food practices by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company, the nation's second-largest supplier of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program, which is administered by the Department of Agriculture. This led to the largest recall of meat in the history of the United States. The issues of how best to handle the problems of unsafe food practices and animal cruelty by USDA-inspected meat processing plants became a major focus of Schafer's administration. The Humane Society of the United States received video showing multiple instances of workers abusing and torturing cattle who had fallen and were unable to walk into kill pens on their own, videographed in October and November 2007. The Humane Society and many meat