President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Tom Vilsack to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
A former governor of Iowa and current leader of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, Vilsack previously led the USDA for eight years under the Obama administration.
“Tom Vilsack understands that the agriculture sector is far more complex than most people understand,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a statement. “He believes in a ‘big tent’ philosophy that supports all types of production and understands the importance of respecting farmers and ranchers as partners worthy of support in the race to achieve sustainability goals.”
Vilsack will lead the department’s 29 agencies and nearly 100,000 employees, who oversee agriculture, food, rural development, nutrition, natural resources and other issues.
“Tom Vilsack earned a reputation for rising above partisanship to serve farmers and ranchers and I’m confident he’ll continue to do so,” Duvall said.
Read American Farm Bureau’s full statement here.
