Vilsack Focuses on Sustainability in First Hearing

The Senate Agriculture Committee voted unanimously last week to advance Tom Vilsack’s nomination as agriculture secretary.

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced Vilsack, an indication of bipartisan support for the former Iowa governor.

“He’s well known to everybody on this committee. I have had a long relationship with Secretary Vilsack, and I can’t think of a single quarrel,” Grassley said. “He knows agriculture very well and understands the importance of maintaining the institution of the family farm, the foundation of success. He knows how to execute the laws.”

In his virtual nomination hearing, Vilsack discussed climate change, Vilsack, 70, leaned hardest on the need for the USDA and American farmers to lead the way in efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. He made clear that he shares President Joe Biden’s vision of net-zero agriculture, and that efforts already underway at farms, such as cover cropping and focusing on soil health—need to be incentivized with market opportunities.

Vilsack also spoke of the need to focus equally on security in our food system and food insecurity for millions of low-income Americans and to maximize the competitiveness of U.S. markets.

Source: Washington Post