Craig began his career in natural resources in 1977 with a B.S. degree in wildlife management from the University of Minnesota. He joined the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a field biologist in 1977 and eventually directed a program of land and water resource management in the Minnesota State Park System. In 1987, Craig accepted a fellowship from the University of Minnesota to complete an M.S. degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics, specializing in natural resource and environmental policy. He graduated in 1989 and moved to Washington D.C. to accept a position as Senior Staff Officer with the Board on Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences. He directed three major studies, including Soil and Water Quality: An Agenda for Agriculture and Rangeland Health: New Methods of Classifying, Inventorying, and Monitoring Rangelands.

In 1994, Craig left the Board on Agriculture to join the staff of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. On the committee, Craig covered natural resource and environmental issues and helped develop much of the conservation title of the farm bill that was passed in March 1996.

In March of 1996, Craig joined the Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Special Assistant to the Chief where he was responsible for policy development and a number of special projects. In 1998 Craig served briefly as Acting Deputy Under-Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment in the Department of Agriculture. He was Executive Director of the Soil and Water Conservation Society—a professional Society dedicated to promoting the art and science of natural resource conservation—for ten years between 1998 and 2008.

He is currently the Midwest Vice President of the Environmental Working Group, directing the organizations research and advocacy work in agriculture, renewable energy, and climate change.

Craig has a B.S. degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management and an M.S. degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics. Both degrees are from the University of Minnesota.

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