Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Edward Thomas `` Ed '' Schafer ( born August 8 , 1946 ) served as the 29th United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2008 to 2009 .
Simplified: Edward Thomas `` Ed '' Schafer ( born August 8 , 1946 ) is a former Governor of North Dakota . He was Secretary of Agriculture from January 28 2008 to January 20 2009 .