Standing in shirtsleeves on a hay rack at an Iowa farm, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue discarded his prepared speech in favor of repeated promises to be an unstinting advocate of U.S. food and ag exports, which generate 20 percent of farm income. President Trump supports biofuels, said Perdue, adding, “I think it was the boss who said we’re not going to mess with the RFS (Renewable Fuels Standard).”
Approaching his second week in office, Perdue said he hoped to fill out his executive team soon. “We’ve identified some great people. Standing up a new administration is tough. It takes time,” said Perdue. “You’ll probably hear some announcements in the next couple of weeks. We’ve got to get these people through the [clearance] process.” At present, Perdue is the only permanent Trump appointee at USDA.
During his impromptu remarks, Perdue praised the productive abilities of U.S. farmers — “God bless you, you are part of our national security” — and said the administration backs exports and ethanol as ways for farmers to turn a profit from their immense crops. Farm income is in a trough with little hope of higher commodity prices in the near term.
“You grow it and we’ll sell it. And we want to do that,” said Perdue. At another point, he said that he and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, nominated for U.S. ambassador to China, “are going to go to China and sell all the American beef we can.” Last September, China announced an end to a ban on U.S. beef but the countries are embroiled in technical talks over meat safety, so no shipments have occurred. “We’re going to figure out a way to get it to them,” said Perdue.
The appearance at a cattle farm in central Iowa was billed as Perdue’s “first major farm policy speech,” but that may have been forfeited by the secretary’s decision to forego a 17-page text so he would speak informally to farmers for 15 minutes.
In his opening days as USDA chief, Perdue has repeatedly put trade at the top of his agenda. In Iowa, he mentioned farm labor as an issue that needs a resolution but did not suggest what form it would take. He told Harvest Public Media that undocumented immigrants who work on farms and have a clean record were not Trump’s targets for deportation. “He has no desire to remove people who are contributing to the economic society,” said Perdue. “Nor do I.” Trump signed an executive order in January to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and “to repatriate illegal aliens swiftly, consistently and humanely.”
Perdue hinted at federal budget cuts and framed it as the sort of belt-tightening farmers do routinely. “As the U.S. government, let’s do what it takes to get [the federal debt] under control and do more with less and benefit our country,” he said.
The secretary was to join Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Sunday for an aerial tour of flooding in northeastern Arkansas. “Aerial view today of AR flooding. Rest assured @USDA will move quickly to support farm communities throughout midwest,” tweeted Perdue.
To watch the Iowa Farm Bureau’s video of Perdue’s appearance, click here.