Tom Vilsack
Trump vows to make EPA more ‘pro-farm’ with a new administrator
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, labeling the Waters of the United States rule as unconstitutional, told the largest U.S. farm group, "I will appoint a pro-farmer administrator [to] EPA."
China says will end ban on U.S. beef; when is unclear
Nearly 13 years ago, China shut its borders to U.S. beef in reaction to the first U.S. case of mad cow disease. Now, the government says it will end the ban, leaving U.S. officials and cattle producers asking for a timeline, says the Wall Street Journal.
Next USDA chief? ‘Find a governor,’ says Vilsack
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, nearing the end of eight years at USDA, knows the type of person who would fit perfectly as his replacement at USDA. "If I were to offer advice [it would be] find a governor who cares about agriculture," Vilsack told reporters.
USDA to buy $20 million worth of cheese to help dairy industry
The USDA said it plans to buy about 11 million pounds of cheese for food banks and pantries across the nation, reducing a cheese surplus that is at its highest level in 30 years. The purchase, valued at $20 million, came after a concerted campaign by the dairy industry, which is facing a 35-percent drop in revenues.
Access to land, not estate tax, is barrier for new farmers, says Vilsack
After a roundtable discussion with beginning farmers in Iowa, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said their chief concern is finding land so they can set up their operations. "The continued focus on the estate tax makes no sense to me," said Vilsack, referring to the idea, popular in the farm sector, of abolishing the estate tax.
Trump gives Democrats ‘unique opportunity’ to win rural votes, says Vilsack
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who served two terms as governor of Iowa, says Democrats can make inroads in traditionally Republican rural America this fall due to misgivings among voters about GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Appearing on "The Axe Files,"a podcast produced by CNN and the University of Chicago, Vilsack said Democrats have a "unique opportunity" but have to act on it to benefit.
Farm Bureau seeks more aid for dairy farmers
The American Farm Bureau Federation asked the USDA to provide emergency assistance to U.S. dairy farmers, including purchasing millions of pounds of cheese for government nutrition programs, as they cope with milk prices at seven-year lows, Agri-Pulse reported. In the past two years, milk sales have fallen $16 billion, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Brazil, U.S. say they will import beef from each other
Brazil will remove barriers to U.S. beef and beef products that were imposed in 2003 in the name of preventing mad cow disease, said the Agriculture Department, pointing to “excellent long-term potential for U.S. beef exporters.”
Will Vilsack be the 21st-century version of ‘Tama Jim’ Wilson?
Tom Vilsack is the longest-serving agriculture secretary in half a century, and there's already chatter about a continued role in government if Democrats retain control of the White House. "That will be up to Hillary Clinton," said Sen. Charles Grassley, who notes that fellow Iowan "Tama Jim" Wilson holds the record for cabinet tenure — 16 years.
Former Vilsack adviser at USDA becomes Kaine’s chief of staff
Matt Paul, communications director for Tom Vilsack when he was governor of Iowa and later agriculture secretary, will work as the chief of staff for Democrat Tim Kaine as he campaigns for vice president, said the Des Moines Register.
Kaine more likely choice for VP than Vilsack, say reports
The presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton, seemed likely to choose Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate, although Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also was a possibility, said published reports. Clinton could announce her choice as early as this afternoon while campaigning in Florida.
Reports have Vilsack in top tier of vice-presidential possibilities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has vaulted into the top tier of Democrats under consideration by the Hillary Clinton campaign for nomination as vice president, said Politico. The Hagstrom Report, meanwhile, cited a source close to the Clinton campaign as saying Vilsack was under serious consideration.
Vilsack remains contender as Clinton nears VP choice
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is likely to campaign with her choice for vice president in Florida on Saturday, said the New York Times, listing Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack among the four men still under consideration for the job. Former president Bill Clinton "has privately expressed his support for Sen. Tim Kaine," said the newspaper.
Vilsack urges governors to invest in rural areas
During a panel discussion at the summer meeting of the National Governors Association, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged state governments to alter the "extraction economy" of sending goods and people to the city, said the Des Moines Register. One step to bolster rural areas, Vilsack said, would be for governors to work with schools and large institutions to buy food locally.
An agriculture secretary for veep? That’s a winning ticket, historically.
Hillary Clinton isn't the first presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to think about putting a successful agriculture secretary from Iowa on the ticket. Franklin Roosevelt did it in 1940, choosing fellow New Dealer Henry A Wallace as his running mate on the way to drubbing Republican businessman Wendell Willkie, and his vice presidential nominee, Sen. Charles McNary.
Vilsack mum as consolidation sweeps seed, ag-chemical sector
Three big mergers among the world's largest seed and agricultural chemical companies are under way or proposed — Bayer and Monsanto, ChemChina and Syngenta, and Dow and DuPont — creating concerns among growers of fewer choices and higher prices when they go shopping. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Harvest Public Media, “I’m not going to respond directly to particular business transactions."
Vilsack … in a Des Moines state of mind
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke wryly about the approaching end of his eight-year run in the Obama cabinet during a session with organic producers — "there'll be an opening in about six months" — and said he expects to return to Iowa.
Tom Vilsack, vice-presidential timber?
It's the political murmur with legs — the idea of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as running mate for Hillary Clinton, the presumption Democratic nominee for president. In the latest whisper, Vilsack is among 21 vice-presidential "possibilities," including two other members of the Obama cabinet, listed by the political website Sabato's Crystal Ball.