In his February keynote address during the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Agricultural Outlook Forum 2009,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Farming … is the most difficult occupation, job, calling, of any in the country. You have no control over your input costs, you have very little control over what you get for that which you grow, and you have absolutely no control over the weather.”

The former Iowa governor probably didn’t hear much dissent from his audience. Although record-high prices for corn, wheat and soybeans made 2008 one of the best years in memory for row-crop growers, other farmers have struggled with steep increases in input costs such as feed, fertilizer and fuel, even as wholesale prices for many of their products have declined. Currently, the U.S. dairy industry is in especially dire straits.

Shortly after being sworn in on Jan. 20 this year, Vilsack laid out an ambitious agenda for the USDA, with several of the department’s goals oriented toward helping farmers by boosting fruit and vegetable consumption among both children and adults in the U.S. For example, the agency used a large portion of the $28 billion it was given as part of the federal stimulus package to increase funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the federal Food Stamp Program.

“For every $5 that is spent in [SNAP], we activate $9.20 of economic activity — more crops being sold, more crops being transported, more crops being retailed, more crops being consumed,” he said in the speech.

And Vilsack has promised to make food safety a priority during his tenure as agriculture secretary. Earlier this month, Vilsack stood with Vice President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to announce the initial findings of the Food Safety Working Group, which was created by President Obama and given the task of upgrading the country’s food safety system. In the near term, HHS and USDA will target salmonella contamination by strengthening production standards for eggs, poultry and turkey, and the USDA has said it will step up enforcement efforts in beef-processing facilities to fight E. coli.

“We owe it to the American people to deliver on President Obama’s bold promise to greatly enhance our food safety system, moving our approach into the 21st century, employing the best surveillance techniques available, and ensuring that we are doing all we can to prevent illness before it occurs,” Vilsack said during the July 7 press conference.

Recent articles on Tom Vilsack

USDA Launches Online Nutrition SuperTracker
Dec 23, 2011, Supermarket News, By SN STAFF
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture here has launched the “Nutrition SuperTracker” a new online feature on its ChooseMyPlate.gov consumer health and wellness website.

2011 Year in Review: Stepping Up in Fresh Foods
Dec 19, 2011, Supermarket News
For many purveyors of fresh foods, 2011 was a two steps forward, one step back type of year. Progress is being made on goals including enhanced food safety systems, seafood sustainability and better nutrition programs for kids and adults, but, there were also setbacks.

Post Holiday means Recovery and Planning for Hispanic shoppers
Nov 21, 2011, Supermarket News
The Post Holiday season sees families

One for you, one for me: Child Hunger Ends Here
Nov 21, 2011, Supermarket News
Continuing toward its goal to donate five million meals to Feeding America, the largest network of food banks in the United States, ConAgra FoodsÂ’ ongoing cause marketing campaign to end child hunger in America

Drive Traffic in Single Serve Frozen for the New Year
Nov 21, 2011, Supermarket News
Entering into the New Year, consumers are looking for ways to get their eating habits back to normal following over-indulgence from the holidays

Path to purchase holds the key for canned tomatoes
Nov 21, 2011, Supermarket News
One of the top ten highest categories with an average basket ring of $83.751, canned tomatoes have versatility as an ingredient across several key growing consumer trends

Page:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10  |  Next

All Articles for Tom Vilsack