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S. HRG. 111–230 

NOMINATION OF GOV. THOMAS J. VILSACK, 

OF IOWA, TO BE SECRETARY OF 

AGRICULTURE 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, 

NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

JANUARY 14, 2009 

Printed for the use of the 

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.agriculture.senate.gov 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY 

TOM HARKIN, Iowa, Chairman 

PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont 

KENT CONRAD, North Dakota 

MAX BAUCUS, Montana 

BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas 

DEBBIE A. STABENOW, Michigan 

E. BENJAMIN NELSON, Nebraska 

SHERROD BROWN, Ohio 

ROBERT P. CASEY, Jr., Pennsylvania 

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, New York 

MICHAEL BENNET, Colorado 

SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia 

RICHARD G. LUGAR, Indiana 

THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi 

MITCH MCCONNELL, Kentucky 

PAT ROBERTS, Kansas 

MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska 

CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa 

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota 

MARK HALVERSON, Majority Staff Director 

JESSICA L. WILLIAMS, Chief Clerk 

MARTHA SCOTT POINDEXTER, Minority Staff Director 

VERNIE HUBERT, Minority Chief Counsel 

(II) 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

HEARING(S): 

Nomination of Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack, of Iowa, to be Secretary of Agriculture ................................................................................................................... 1 

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY SENATORS 

Harkin, Hon. Tom, a U.S. Senator from the State of Iowa, Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry .................................................. 1 

Chambliss, Hon. Saxby, a U.S. Senator from the State of Georgia ..................... 3 

Grassley, Hon. Charles E., a U.S. Senator from the State of Iowa ..................... 6 

Panel I 

Vilsack, Thomas J., of Iowa, to be Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture . 7 

APPENDIX 

PREPARED STATEMENTS: 

Vilsack, Thomas J. ........................................................................................... 46 

DOCUMENT(S) SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD: 

Committee questionnaire and Office of Government Ethics Executive 

Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report filed by Thomas 

J. Vilsack ....................................................................................................... 50 

Various organizations, letters of support and endorsement of Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack to be Secretary of Agriculture ...............................................72-120 

QUESTION AND ANSWER: 

Harkin, Hon. Tom: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 122 

Baucus, Hon. Max: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 128 

Casey, Hon. Robert P., Jr.: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 131 

Chambliss, Hon. Saxby: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 134 

Crapo, Hon. Mike: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 144 

Klobuchar, Hon. Amy: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 149 

Leahy, Hon. Patrick J.: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 150 

Lincoln, Hon. Blanche L.: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 159 

Roberts, Hon. Pat: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 165 

Stabenow, Hon. Debbie A.: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 168 

Thune, Hon. John: 

Written questions to Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack ................................................ 178 

(1) 

NOMINATION OF THOMAS J. VILSACK, 

OF IOWA, TO BE SECRETARY OF 

AGRICULTURE 

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY, 

Washington, DC 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in room 

SD-G50, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

Present: Senators Harkin, Leahy, Lincoln, Nelson, Casey, Klobuchar, Chambliss, Lugar, Grassley, Roberts, Thune, and Cochran. 

STATEMENT OF HON. TOM HARKIN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE 

STATE OF IOWA, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, 

NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY 

Chairman HARKIN. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry will come to order. 

Well, this morning, it is a distinct honor of mine to hold this 

hearing of this Committee to consider the nomination of Thomas J. 

Vilsack, former Governor of Iowa, to become Secretary of Agriculture. I want to welcome you to the Committee, Governor 

Vilsack, along with your wife, Christie, our former First Lady, and 

a good number of Iowans and others who are here to support you 

and wish you well. 

The Secretary of Agriculture is a job with far-reaching responsibilities and influence. Although it is often overlooked, all Americans, and many millions more around the world, lead better lives 

each day because of the capable efforts of the people who make up 

the Department of Agriculture. 

Nothing is more basic to human sustenance than a safe and affordable and plentiful supply of nutritious food. Our Nation is 

blessed to have the people, the resources, and the technology to 

form a system stretching from family farms to family dining tables 

that allows most of us to take food pretty much for granted. This 

level of food security has been possible for only a very small slice 

of human history and is still out of reach for far too many of the 

world’s inhabitants—some right here in our own country. The Secretary of Agriculture has a fundamental responsibility to foster a 

dependable and sustainable food and agriculture system and to 

provide nutrition assistance to millions of Americans in need. 

We also rely on farms and ranches and forests for the fiber, timber, and, increasingly, renewable forms of energy that are key eleVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:34 Feb 26, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\49575.TXT SAG2 PsN: SAG2
2 

ments of our economy and way of life. Rural America contributes 

greatly to our Nation’s wealth, not only by supplying food and 

other resources, but also through a highly productive and dedicated 

workforce. 

Yet too often, the citizens of small towns and rural communities 

do not share in the wealth that they help to generate. And so another crucial role of the Secretary of Agriculture is as a champion 

of rural communities—dedicated to helping them succeed economically and obtain the necessary elements for a better way of life. 

The new Secretary of Agriculture faces stiff challenges—many of 

them, of course, made harder by the economic downturn—and yet 

there are solid reasons to hope and work for positive change. 

The rural economy and rural businesses are suffering, including 

in agriculture, where producers are once again in a cost-price 

squeeze, compounded by tighter credit. Yet our basic assets in agriculture and rural America are the envy of most of the world. 

Job losses and economic hardship will drive the need for nutrition assistance to record levels across America—rural and urban— 

and will strain USDA and State agencies to deliver this critically 

important help to families. The new farm bill strengthened this assistance as will, hopefully, the economic recovery legislation. 

At the same time, in the child nutrition assistance programs that 

we are due to reauthorize this year, we have a tremendous opportunity to help reform America’s health system, save lives, and control health care costs. If we make sure that foods and beverages 

that kids consume in schools are more nutritious and healthier and 

properly balanced, we will prevent diseases and medical conditions 

that impair and cut short lives—and cost a lot of money to treat. 

We will need the leadership and help of the Secretary of Agriculture and USDA in writing this legislation. 

We have a huge challenge to conserve natural resources in the 

face of a growing world population and demand for commodities 

and raw materials. Farms and forests will be pushed for ever 

greater output. Doing so sustainably will require a much greater 

commitment to conservation practices on land that is in production 

through the Conservation Stewardship Program and similar initiatives. 

In renewable energy and other areas, we can and we must create 

and develop new opportunities in rural America, for example, for 

beginning farmers and in small and startup businesses. Producing 

livestock and poultry is vital to rural economies, and it is essential 

that markets in this industry are competitive and fair. The demand 

for locally grown and organic foods continues to grow—the fastest 

growing part of our food chain—providing new and expanding opportunities, again, in rural communities. 

USDA’s food safety and inspection system needs strengthening, 

yet the progress that has been made shows that the system can be 

improved. 

With the number of hungry people in the world now reaching 

nearly 1 billion, we must instill hope by investing more in food and 

agriculture research and helping developing countries improve agricultural productivity so they will be better able to feed themselves. 

3 

And among the most intractable challenges facing the new Secretary of Agriculture is the intolerable and inexcusable state of 

civil rights in USDA’s agricultural programs and for USDA employees. It is essential that we find ways to work together to turn this 

situation around once and for all. 

So it is now my privilege to introduce—taking off my Chairman’s 

hat, just now as a member of the Committee and as an Iowan— 

along with my colleague from Iowa, Senator Grassley, our Governor 

Tom Vilsack, President-elect Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture. I can tell you from my long history with Tom Vilsack, he 

knows production agriculture and what is needed to promote profitability and a better future, including for beginning farmers and 

ranchers. He gained a lot of experience the hard way—representing 

farmers in wrenching financial situations as a county seat lawyer 

during the farm crisis of the 1980’s, which was the first time we 

ever met. 

As the mayor of Mount Pleasant and as a State senator, he 

gained valuable experience and insights into the problems and 

needs and opportunities in our small rural communities. 

As a Governor, Tom Vilsack built a strong record in promoting 

renewable energy, rural economic opportunity, and conservation. 

He knows how to bring change that will help to strengthen and rebuild the farm and rural economy on a sound foundation. He has 

a proven record of working with all sides to seek the right resolution to environmental issues. 

He is solidly committed to better nutrition and providing food assistance to those who need it. He created the Iowa Food Policy 

Council to address the range of interlinked food and agriculture 

issues. 

Tom Vilsack’s experience, his abilities, his dedication, and his 

relish for hard work will serve him well, and our Nation very well, 

as Secretary of Agriculture. And it will also serve him very well 

that he has as his wife and companion Christie Vilsack, our former 

First Lady, a teacher who made a great name for herself all over 

Iowa by promoting reading especially for young children, and our 

libraries and books in the State of Iowa, she just did a tremendous 

job in the State of Iowa. 

So, again, Governor, we welcome you to the Committee. We look 

forward to your testimony. 

I will turn to our Ranking Member Senator Chambliss and then 

to Senator Grassley for the purpose of introduction. Senator Chambliss. 

STATEMENT OF HON. SAXBY CHAMBLISS, U.S. SENATOR FROM 

THE STATE OF GEORGIA 

Senator CHAMBLISS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

First of all, let me just say that I look forward to another productive and cooperative year with you, and congratulations again on 

being Chairman of this Committee, and you have been a great 

partner. We had some difficult tasks last year, but with your leadership we were successful in getting a farm bill passed, and I congratulate you once again on that also, and I look forward to this 

year. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you. 

4 

Senator CHAMBLISS. And, certainly, Mr. Chairman, I am glad to 

attend this important hearing this morning to consider the nomination of Governor Tom Vilsack for the position of Secretary of Agriculture. With all the recent turmoil affecting every segment of our 

economy, I understand that the President-elect would like to have 

his Cabinet in place as soon as possible. I look forward to reporting 

the nomination out of Committee and quickly approving the nomination on the Senate floor. A swift confirmation will ensure that 

the Department of Agriculture has the necessary leadership to fulfill its mission on behalf of the American people. 

Governor Vilsack, I congratulate you on your nomination, welcome you and your wife, Christie, to the Senate Agriculture Committee, and I am very pleased, Christie, to hear that you are a 

former teacher. My wife also taught school for 30 years in the public school systems in our State, so it is a special talent you have, 

and we certainly again welcome you to the Committee. 

I hope your visit today will be short yet productive. I am certain 

that today is a proud day for you, your family, and the entire State 

of Iowa. I would note that upon your confirmation, Iowa agriculture 

is certainly going to be well represented in both branches of Government. Along with Senator Harkin’s chairmanship of the Senate 

Agriculture Committee and Senator Grassley’s leadership on the 

Finance Committee as well as serving in the Minority on this Committee, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where corn, soybeans, 

and livestock will not be ably represented. 

As we discussed in our meeting in my office in the last few days, 

I know that you are eager to broaden your portfolio to represent 

our Southern commodities as well—commodities such as poultry, 

cotton, and peanuts—and that you desire to represent the entire 

U.S. agriculture sector and certainly not just one section of the 

country. 

As every member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture well 

knows, the position of Secretary is critically important not only to 

America’s agriculture producers but to every U.S. citizen that consumes the products that our farmers produce. From overseeing the 

major commodity and conservative programs to administering the 

food and nutrition programs, the Secretary of Agriculture touches 

almost every sector of our society. 

Our most basic strength as a Nation resides in our ability to 

produce a safe, abundant, and affordable food supply. We are 

blessed that we can share this bounty not only with our citizens 

but with all the world as well. 

As with all sectors of the economy, American agriculture is experiencing very difficult times. Even though our farmers and ranchers earlier generally enjoyed higher prices, these were coupled with 

rising input costs. Unfortunately, many of them, particularly cotton 

producers, never experienced the high prices. They encountered the 

double misfortune of low prices and high input costs. In today’s uncertain economic climate, USDA must closely monitor our production sector and ensure that any legislative priorities treat all areas 

of the country fairly so that they may, therefore, enjoy broad congressional support. 

As you know, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly approved the 

2008 farm bill. Two Presidential vetoes had to be overridden to 

5 

enact this law, and such broad support of farm policy is unprecedented in the Senate’s long history. Although the current administration began the implementation of the 2008 farm bill, now it will 

be your responsibility to complete the job. 

It is our hope to continue the important business of working with 

the Department to implement the law. Again, as we discussed in 

our meetings, sometimes the Department needs assistance in that 

regard in order to fully understand congressional intent to preserve 

the delicate balances of the 2008 farm bill. The fact that the President-elect nominated you speaks to your high level of qualification 

to implement such an important piece of legislation. 

I know that you bring to Washington a great deal of experience 

as Secretary of Agriculture. You served two terms as the Governor 

of Iowa, where, according to a 2005 Iowa State University study, 

farm and farm-related employment make up 20 percent of the 

workforce of your State. Much like my home State of Georgia, agriculture is the backbone of Iowa’s economy. Whether it was encouraging energy security through the advancement of renewable 

biofuels or ensuring that we remain leaders in agricultural science 

and technology by advancing biotechnology issues, you served your 

State admirably as Governor and will no doubt bring those same 

qualities to USDA. 

In addition to implementing the farm bill, the Secretary must 

represent the interest of American agriculture in the negotiation of 

free trade agreements, work tirelessly to further open markets to 

our agricultural products, support international economic development through the provision of food aid, lead land conservation efforts, and expand job opportunities for our citizens in rural America. As the founder and former Chair of the Governors Biotechnology Partnership, you have a unique perspective and I hope 

will invest a significant amount of your time to resolve our biotechnology issues with our trading partners. 

As you are aware, many of these issues have persisted in spite 

of scientific vindication and favorable decisions in the World Trade 

Organization. I am optimistic that you are the right man to take 

on these challenges. 

Governor, I look forward to working with you, and I urge my colleagues to favorably report your nomination out of Committee and 

approve it on the Senate floor as soon as possible. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much, Senator Chambliss, 

and let me repay your kind remarks by again welcoming you back 

to the Committee as Ranking Member—well, I did not mean it that 

way. I meant, welcome you back, in your capacity as Ranking 

Member. Of course, I prefer to be Chairman rather than Ranking 

Member. But we have had a great—— 

Senator CHAMBLISS. Do you want to swap or what, Tom? 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman HARKIN. We have had a great partnership, and I look 

forward to that continuing, especially with the reauthorization of 

the child nutrition bill and all the other matters you mentioned. So 

it has been great working with you, and I look forward to another 

productive couple of years here. Thank you very much, Saxby. 

6 

Now I will yield to my friend, my colleague from Iowa, Senator 

Grassley, for an introduction. 

STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, U.S. SENATOR 

FROM THE STATE OF IOWA 

Senator GRASSLEY. Good morning, everybody, and thank you, Mr. 

Chairman and Senator Chambliss. A very special welcome to Governor Vilsack and his wife, Christie, to the Senate Agriculture 

Committee. They are a great political team. Mrs. Vilsack is a policy 

person in her own right, so it is a very strong team coming to town 

to do the work of advancing our country. 

I am so pleased to see that one of the President-elect’s Cabinet 

nominations is an Iowan, and I want to personally congratulate 

you, as I have a couple times privately, for your nomination and 

welcome you to Washington. 

I think the Committee is very fortunate to have someone appointed to be Secretary of Agriculture as Governor Vilsack is. He 

has been around agriculture in the family farm, as mayor of a 

small town, as a State senator, and as Governor of Iowa, and all 

of this is going to be a tremendous benefit to agriculture generally, 

but particularly to the institution of the family farm. 

When Governor Vilsack was elected mayor of Mount Pleasant, he 

inherited a rural community that was suffering the effects of the 

farm credit crisis of the 1980’s. He witnessed firsthand how the 

farm crisis became not just a farm crisis, but a rural crisis. This 

experience will be extremely beneficial as he assumes the role of 

Secretary during a time of price volatility, exceedingly increasing 

input costs, and undetermined amounts of risk. I also look forward 

to your swift and speedy confirmation. 

Many of us in the Senate have worked hard in years to pass legislation to help restore competition in livestock markets and to 

make sure that marketing and production contracts that farmers 

sign with packers and livestock integrators are, in fact, fair contracts. We made some real progress in this regard by including important changes in the Farm Bill to the Packers and Stockyards 

Act to protect farmers from abusive contract terms. 

For a long time on this issue, I have worked with my colleagues 

Senator Feingold, Senator Harkin, and others to make sure that 

livestock and poultry farmers cannot be forced to sign away their 

rights through mandatory arbitration clauses in their contracts. In 

the 2008 farm bill, we finally included a provision to require that 

farmers be given a clear choice up front in their contract about 

whether or not they want to use arbitration to resolve disputes. 

I would also note that the 2008 farm bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to do a rulemaking to define the Packers 

and Stockyards Act prohibition against ‘‘undue and unreasonable 

preferences’’ in which meat packers, swine contractors, and poultry 

dealers favor larger-volume producers over smaller-volume producers. I want to advance this important rulemaking as quickly as 

possible as it represents one of the most important immediate steps 

that can be taken to restore a fair and more competitive marketplace. 

I have also been a strong supporter of crop insurance. Iowa leads 

the Nation with the most crop insurance companies headquartered 

7 

in our State and a very high participation and purchase of revenue 

policies. Crop insurance is a vital risk management tool, and it has 

helped Iowa farmers recover from devastating floods last year and 

is helping farmers cover losses from steep declines in commodity 

prices. Revenue claims are still being worked on in Iowa for last 

year, but I look forward to working with the new Secretary to 

strengthen and improve this vital risk management tool for our 

farmers. 

I will make just a quick comment about an issue that I have 

worked on for years, and you already know my interest in this, 

Governor. Payment limits are going to continue to be at the top of 

my agricultural agenda, although the farm bill has been signed 

now for a 5–year period of time. So I want to offer an open door 

to my office in the future to discuss this issue, and I am glad to 

hear anything you have to say about it. 

As Governor, renewable homegrown energy was at the forefront 

during your tenure as Governor. I am excited to work with you and 

the Department to further promote alternative fuels and focus on 

the commercial viability of advanced biofuels, the next generation. 

With contributions to green jobs and a cleaner environment, renewable energy will help decrease our dependence on foreign oil and 

keep that money here in the United States. 

Finally, as you know well, U.S. agriculture is dependent upon access to foreign markets. I hope to work with you during this Congress to pass implementing legislation bills for our pending trade 

agreements that will help level the playing field for U.S. farm exports. 

Once again, congratulations to you, Governor, and to Mrs. 

Vilsack. 

Thank you. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much, Senator Grassley. 

Governor Vilsack, I have two things I have to do, first of all to 

administer an oath that we have to have from all nominees. Please 

stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that the 

testimony you are about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, 

and nothing but the truth, so help you God? 

Mr. VILSACK. I do. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much. And, second, Governor, do you agree that, if confirmed, you will appear before any 

duly constituted Committee of Congress if asked to appear? 

Mr. VILSACK. Absolutely. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much. Well, Governor 

Vilsack, again, welcome. I just couldn’t be more proud than to sit 

here this morning and to see you there and to contemplate your 

being the next Secretary of Agriculture. I have admired your work 

for so many years in Iowa, as I said, going back to the 1980’s and 

your leadership as Governor. I don’t think President-elect Obama 

could have picked a better person for this position. 

So welcome and, again, your testimony will be made a part of the 

record in its entirety, and you may proceed as you so desire. 

STATEMENT OF THOMAS J. VILSACK, OF IOWA, TO BE 

SECRETARY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Mr. VILSACK. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, 

8 

Senator Chambliss, and members of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry for the opportunity and privilege 

to appear before you today. I particularly want to thank my fellow 

Iowans—Chairman Tom Harkin and Senator Grassley—for their 

kind introduction and, Senator Chambliss, for your kind remarks 

as well. I have long admired your work and service to our State 

and to our country, and I appreciate your kind words today. 

I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and to introduce to the Committee and to proudly thank my best friend and 

life partner, Christie Vilsack, who joins me today as she has during 

every step of my public life: as the mayor of Mount Pleasant, as 

a State senator, and as the Governor of the great State. 

Chairman HARKIN. Would you stand up, Christie? 

[Applause.] 

Mr. VILSACK. Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, it is a 

great honor and privilege to be nominated by President-elect 

Barack Obama to lead the Department of Agriculture at this crucial time. The last Iowan asked to serve as Secretary of Agriculture 

was Henry Wallace. He served with extraordinary distinction during a period of historic challenge. And I am very mindful of the 

high standard he set, the reforms he initiated, and the deep compassion he had for those who work our lands. 

Today, our country and the Department of Agriculture again face 

historic challenges. Farmers and ranchers experience volatile markets while credit tightens. Small towns and rural communities 

across the country continue to lose people and jobs while critical infrastructure crumbles. These towns and communities find it extremely difficult and increasingly difficult to keep pace with the 

ever changing national and global economy. Recent economic woes 

caused a dramatic increase in the number of Americans needing 

the food assistance programs under USDA jurisdiction. The Nation 

looks to our rural areas for a sustainable source of food and energy 

at the same time the world looks to America for leadership in combating global climate change. 

The health care crisis aligns squarely with the need to promote 

more nutrition in our diets. All of this is happening while the world 

population continues to grow at a rate that may in our lifetime 

challenge our capacity to grow and raise enough food. And if this 

weren’t enough, a national treasure—our forests—are under attack 

by uncontrollable wildfires and invasive species. 

All of these serious challenges require a compelling new vision 

for the Department with the attention, dedication, and leadership 

to make it happen. The President-elect has called upon each of us 

to meet these challenges. If confirmed, I pledge to work with all the 

energy I have to do my part to make sure the Department of Agriculture does its part: 

To do its part in administering a robust farm safety net and create real and meaningful opportunities for farmers and ranchers to 

succeed; 

To guarantee that the communities where those farmers and 

ranchers live can grow and prosper; 

To help families that struggle to make ends meet each and every 

day to put food on their table; 

9 

To place America at the forefront of efforts to aggressively address energy independence and global climate change; 

To enhance the safety of our food supply and reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses; 

To work with those who seek programs and practices that lead 

to more nutritious food produced in a sustainable way; 

And to preserve and protect our national resources—our land, 

our water, and our forests. 

I am under no illusion about the difficulty we face, but I recognize the commitment that Congress has made with the passage of 

the 2008 farm bill. USDA’s job is to implement that far-ranging 

piece of legislation promptly and consistent with congressional intent. If confirmed, I commit to work immediately to implement the 

600 provisions and 15 titles of the farm bill, including prompt implementation of the Conservation Stewardship Program and the 

Disaster Payment Program, and to leverage the financial commitment of the farm bill and of the stimulus bill, if one is passed, with 

other public sector and private resources to realize the full promise 

of rural America. 

None of this will be possible without 21st century technology. We 

need to provide Congress with a workable and realistic plan to implement the technology changes necessary to bring this Department into the 21st century. If confirmed, I look forward to working 

with you to do just that. 

I will also take steps to enhance the role of the farm sector and 

rural communities in solving the great environmental and energyrelated challenges our country faces. Toward that end, I will work 

with you to expand opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and rural 

communities to promote renewable energy technologies like 

biofuels, wind, solar, and geothermal, and to deliver the environmental benefits like clean air, clean water, and fish and wildlife 

habitat. 

One final comment, with the time you have provided to me 

today. The Department of Agriculture was founded by President 

Lincoln as ‘‘The People’s Department.’’ The time has come for this 

Department to be the Department of and for and by all the people, 

by working hard to resolve the outstanding civil rights claims in 

program and employment practices. We need to close this chapter, 

and we need to begin looking forward. If confirmed, my message 

will be clear: Discrimination in any form will not be tolerated in 

this Department. 

I want to close by finishing where I began—by expressing my 

gratitude to the Chairman, the Ranking Member, and the Committee for the chance to speak here today; to President-elect 

Obama for the confidence he has placed in me to do this job; to my 

family—Christie, Jess, Kate, and Doug—for their love and support; 

and to the people of my home State for the privilege they afforded 

me to serve them. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Vilsack can be found on page 46 

in the appendix.] 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much, Governor, for your 

statement. 

10 

In the interest of time, we will go ahead and start, Governor, but 

we may have to interrupt any minute now to go over and vote. And 

we will see if we can just roll it, maybe. I do not know. We will 

have 5–minute question rounds for all the members of the Committee. Maybe we will not even have to recess for the vote; we will 

just change off back and forth here. 

The vote just started right now, so if anybody wants to go vote 

and then come back, then some of us will go after you come back. 

Mr. VILSACK. Mr. Chairman, I was hoping that the Committee 

would just simply leave—— 

Chairman HARKIN. Governor, again, my congratulations. I will 

just start off with a couple of questions. 

Senator ROBERTS. I love you. We will be back. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman HARKIN. Vote right, now. 

I want to start off on health care reform. Now, you might think, 

well, what has that got to do with the Secretary of Agriculture? 

One of the big priorities of President Obama’s first year is health 

care reform and getting meaningful health care reform through 

Congress. 

We have a big role to play in that, this Committee and you, the 

Secretary of Agriculture, in reauthorizing our child nutrition programs—which we are scheduled to do this year. That is the only 

thing, really, that we have to do this year, is reauthorize the child 

nutrition programs. That is the School Lunch, the School Breakfast, and the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program. 

We had a hearing on child nutrition last month to kick it off. We 

covered how important USDA’s child nutrition programs are to the 

ongoing debate about major health care reform in this country. I 

have been saying for a long time that our health care system needs 

to be reoriented toward prevention and wellness, and that is where 

USDA, through its child nutrition programs, can play an important 

role as we work to reform our health care system. 

That being said, I am curious just again to get your thoughts. 

Senator Daschle will be leading the new administration’s effort out 

of the White House on health care reform. As I mentioned to him 

and to President-elect Obama on more than one occasion, they also 

really have to look to the Secretary of Agriculture, and this Committee, regarding how we reform and revamp our child nutrition 

programs. 

What role do you see for yourself in that? How can we strengthen 

the ability of our child nutrition programs to promote healthy diets 

and prevent chronic disease? That is kind of an open-ended question. I just want your basic thoughts on looking ahead this year to 

reauthorization of the child nutrition programs. 

Mr. VILSACK. Well, Senator, first of all, let me start off by thanking you and the Committee and the Congress for the work that you 

did in the farm bill to ensure that fruits and vegetables are now 

going to be more readily available and for the first time mentioned 

in the farm bill in a meaningful and significant way. I think that 

was an important beginning first step in the process. 

I have met with Senator Daschle and talked to him specifically 

about this issue, indicating my desire to partner with him and recVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:34 Feb 26, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\49575.TXT SAG2 PsN: SAG2
11 

ognizing that if we are going to address the health care crisis is 

a meaningful and comprehensive way, wellness and prevention 

have to be at the core. And, clearly, at the core of wellness and prevention is nutritional eating. 

We have a great opportunity to make a very significant statement on that issue with the reauthorization of these nutrition programs that impact, in effect, over 30 million Americans. 

We can work with our schools to ensure that fresh fruits and 

vegetables are available. We can certainly begin the process of expanding what has already started in this country with local producers, establishing produce opportunities for local consumers. One 

of the challenges will be to ensure that people, A, know that this 

is available and, B, make sure that there are distribution systems 

in place to provide the quantity and the quality that will make this 

successful. 

I am committed to this. I think the USDA does have a role, an 

advisory role, a partnership with this Committee and Congress, 

and if confirmed, I look forward to working with you and the members of the Committee, offering our thoughts and suggestions, and 

I can absolutely guarantee you that we will be very aggressive in 

this area. 

Chairman HARKIN. Well, I appreciate that. I would just again 

add, from my own viewpoint, that too many schools have vending 

machines stocked with unhealthy options. Too many lunchrooms 

have a la carte lines offering foods with too little nutrition, but 

loaded with too much sugar, fat, and sodium. It is unacceptable 

and it undercuts our Federal investment in school meals. 

I am heartened to have a President-elect who, while he was here 

in the Senate, introduced legislation to require USDA to set nutrition standards for competitive foods that are consistent with the 

recommendations of the Institute of Medicine. So I am looking forward to working with you and with the new President in that area. 

I want to ask you, Governor, about the Conservation Stewardship Program, included in the 2008 Farm Bill, that will enroll 

12.769 million additional acres each year. We have to get that program on track—you mentioned it in your opening statement—so 

that producers can have an opportunity to enroll in this fiscal year. 

Do you know of any reason why the program could not be available to allow producers to enroll soon, this crop year, and certainly 

before the fiscal year ends in September? 

Mr. VILSACK. Well, Senator, I want to be as responsive as I can, 

but I also want to be candid with you. I need to have an opportunity to get into the Department, if confirmed, to basically find 

out what the barriers or the problems or the concerns have been 

in terms of implementation. My promise to you is to do this as 

promptly and properly as possible. 

I recognize that this is not only an opportunity to expand income 

opportunities for producers, but it is also great for the environment, and for water quality, in particular; and it also provides jobs, 

rural jobs. A lot of people sometimes forget that when you involve 

yourself in these conservation programs, somebody ultimately has 

to move the dirt or do work on the farm. That is rural contracting 

opportunities. 

12 

So this is a job creator, it is great for the environment, and it 

is an income opportunity for marginal land. I am very supportive 

of this. We will do everything we possibly can. I don’t want to make 

a firm commitment on time because I am just not sure about that. 

But I can tell you that it is going to be as promptly and properly 

done as possible. 

Chairman HARKIN. Well, I appreciate that. I also want you to 

know that we are working on the economic recovery package, because as you said, that promotes jobs, puts people to work in rural 

areas. 

Mr. VILSACK. Absolutely. 

Chairman HARKIN. Senator Thune, I am going to have to go to 

vote pretty soon, but go ahead, Senator Thune. 

Senator THUNE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will try and hold 

things down until you get back, but thank you for scheduling a 

timely hearing. Governor Vilsack, thank you for your willingness to 

serve America’s farmers and ranchers and foresters as the next 

Secretary of Agriculture, and congratulations to you and welcome 

to the Committee. We look forward to working with you. 

Your nomination comes on the heels of a very historic period in 

American agriculture, which has primarily been fueled by the production of renewable energy and increased demand for America’s 

agriculture products. And there were two historic pieces of legislation that were enacted in the last Congress, one being the new 

farm bill, the other an energy bill, which required a historic 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel by the year 2022. And there are a 

lot of challenges when it comes to implementing those pieces of legislation that we are current faced with. 

The renewable fuel industry is really struggling. We have got a 

lot of plants, as you are aware of in your State, as well as in mine, 

that have declared bankruptcy or furloughed production. Those 

plants that are operating are very likely operating in the red. After 

some good years in agriculture, now we have got a time when we 

are faced with a lot of uncertainty. Land, fuel, and seed costs continue to go up. Commodity prices are down sharply. The global recession is likely to mean weakening demand for corn, soybeans, 

wheat, and beef this year, and most analysts are predicting a drop 

in net farm income for the year 2009. 

So you come into the job at a time when it is going to be really 

important that we craft policies that will keep rural America strong 

and keep America’s energy supply secure. In that vein, I would like 

to just ask a couple of questions, if I might, with regard to the renewable energy industry. I discussed with you in a previous meeting my concern about what we refer to as the ‘‘blend wall,’’ and 

that is the wall that we run into with E10 that is going to make 

it very difficult, I think, for our ethanol producers to be profitable, 

to operate in the black. That is a point where the supply of ethanol 

is going to exceed the demand. And I think part of that is a function of the fact that we only allow 10–percent blends. 

I am very interested, as are many of my colleagues—I think the 

Chairman as well—in seeing us move to 15 to 20 percent blends, 

as well as to develop the infrastructure that is necessary to keep 

the ethanol industry strong in this country. 

13 

So I guess I am curious as to what your thoughts are with regard 

to E15, E20, and, if confirmed, will you work with the Department 

of Energy and the EPA to approve higher blends of ethanol in the 

near future? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, thank you for asking that question, and, 

first of all, thank you for giving us an opportunity to reflect on the 

difficulties and challenges that the farmers in our area of the country and, for that matter, all areas of the country face. I think sometimes people don’t appreciate and understand how difficult it is to 

put a crop in, that you have no control over input costs, you have 

no control over the weather, you have little control over what the 

markets will pay for your product. And so it becomes very, very difficult. That is why it is very, very important for us to look for ways 

to expand income opportunities for those who farm and those who 

ranch. 

One of those opportunities that was presented recently is the 

whole biofuels opportunity. That has raised some serious issues 

and some challenges, as you and I discussed in your office, about 

whether or not there is a linkage between our efforts to use some 

of our crops for fuel and rising food costs. And I think that we have 

to take an opportunity to address that, to educate people about the 

fact that there are many, many reasons why food prices have gone 

up that are not necessarily related to biofuels. 

Having said that, to meet the demand, whether it is the existing 

law or whether it is additional blend requirements, to meet the law 

will be a challenge unless we do a better job of accelerating research and development on a variety of second and third generation feedstocks for biofuels. There are issues involving the nature 

of those feedstocks, the processing opportunities that they present, 

and challenges, the transportation issues that are involved, the capacity to store, storage issues that are involved. All of those have 

to be looked at, and I think in a very accelerated way. We have to 

begin the process of trying to answer some of those challenges. 

I think USDA has a very, very important role to play in making 

sure that we indeed provide the research and the focus and the direction to meet whatever the requirements are. 

I will also say that I look forward to working with Lisa Jackson 

at EPA. We have had a conversation about this, and I think she 

recognizes the important role that EPA plays generally in agriculture. And we talked and discussed about the fact that there will 

be someone with agricultural background in the EPA, so we can 

have a good dialog and communication. So I look forward to working with her, I look forward to working with you, if I am confirmed, 

to really doing it right in terms of second and third generation 

biofuels. 

Senator THUNE. [Presiding.] Among the many steps that can be 

taken is the increasing of the blends, and I know there are a number of issues that you will have to look at, and this whole debate 

about food versus fuel, which I think has been exaggerated by 

those who are opposed to increased biofuels production in this 

country. But, frankly, moving toward next-generation biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, is going to be really important in terms of responding to those concerns and a public that I think wants to see both 

14 

objectives achieved, and that is, increasing use of renewables but 

also keeping food costs at a reasonable level. 

That being said, as we move toward these other types of biomass 

that we can use in production of biofuels, there are some concerns 

that we have about EPA considering international indirect land use 

changes and how they do greenhouse gas analysis under the renewable fuel standard. And I guess the question would be: How 

should EPA measure or model such emissions and ensure that 

those land use changes directly related to U.S. production of ethanol are considered during the analysis? And do you agree that 

those types of analysis ought to be based upon the most verifiable 

and sound data available? 

What I am getting at, I know it is kind of a big-picture type 

question, but we are very concerned about some of the metrics that 

might be used to determine whether or not ethanol and greenhouse 

gas emissions, life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, how they are 

impacted by crop production patterns as we continue to grow the 

use of renewable energy. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, I think that is one of the reasons why 

EPA-designee Jackson came into my office to talk about the need 

to have someone in her Department that would be able to relate 

and be aware of and appreciate those challenges. I must say that 

I have a lot to learn in this job, and you have touched on an area 

that I have a great deal to learn, and I hope that you will permit 

me the time, if confirmed, to learn more about this. 

Let me generally say there are many issues in agriculture that 

involve this issue of data and sound science, and I think it is important and necessary for us to indicate as a general philosophy 

that what we should be doing and what we should be looking at 

is making decisions based on sound data and sound science; that 

we ought to be very comfortable with the data and very comfortable 

with the science. It seems to me that is the only way to make a 

good decision. 

It goes back to the comments that I made in my opening statement about technology. One of the concerns I have about USDA’s 

capacity to give you information or to allow you to do a proper 

oversight responsibility that you have is that it may be difficult for 

us to accumulate data, to obtain data, with 1980–ish software. And 

so one of my focuses, if confirmed, will be to try to get the technology to a point where we bring it into the 21st century, we give 

you information and data that you can rely on and that you can 

make—and that we can rely on to make decisions and that we can 

use to hold people accountable for the work that they do. 

I recognize that there have been many plans and discussions 

about technology, and the Department obviously has a responsibility of providing you with a plan that is realistic, that is priced 

properly, that is a timeline for implementation that is reasonable. 

And if confirmed, I intend to make sure that happens. 

Senator THUNE. Thank you, Governor. We look forward to working with you, and I now will go vote and hand it over to the Senator from Indiana. Thank you very much, sir. 

Mr. VILSACK. Thank you, Senator. 

Senator LUGAR. [Presiding.] Governor, I appreciated very much 

your opening statement and specifically that you talked about comVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:34 Feb 26, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\49575.TXT SAG2 PsN: SAG2
15 

munities where farmers and ranchers live. This is more of a conversation than a question, but one of the remarkable things about 

the building of the corn ethanol plants in my State—and I am certain that was true in yours—was that it literally revived a number 

of counties that had severe losses of population over the course of 

time, a severe loss of tax base for their schools, chambers of commerce becoming moribund, and there appeared really to be no reason, despite attempts by the State government from time to time, 

to reinvigorate counties by inducing manufacturing plants or those 

involved in high-tech or what have you to come to those communities. As a matter of fact, those groups that invested in our State 

came largely to the Indianapolis area or the Chicago-Louisville-Cincinnati areas that bordered our State. 

Suddenly a transformation occurred in a fairly short period of 

time, and it was not just simply the really small amount of revenue 

relatively that came in the plants but, rather, a hope that somehow, because of biofuels and the additional uses of agricultural 

products, something new could occur. 

I know you have looked at this from the standpoint of your entire 

State, as I have tried to. This is extremely important to my State, 

and I am very hopeful that trend will continue. The dilemmas are 

obvious for anybody involved in that business presently, and that 

is the enormous change in the price of corn. Going in 1 year from 

$4 to $8, coming all the way back down to $3 is breathtaking in 

terms of not only of the ethanol plants, but corn farmers such as 

myself and Senator Grassley. We follow these things intensely and 

compare notes, really, on our marketing of corn. 

So as I go to meetings with people now involved with seeds, with 

fertilizer, quite apart from corn farmers or soybean farmers or 

those who are feeding livestock, to say the least it is unnerving. As 

some farm writers have pointed out, these meetings have many 

more farmers coming to them this year wanting to know what is 

going to happen, and that is always a question in agriculture. 

I suppose the question I have of you is: How can the Department 

sustain this hope? We have had mandates of gallons of ethanol that 

must come. We have hopes that there will be a higher percentage 

of ethanol beyond the 10–percent mix, and that will be a very important factor presently. Soy diesel plays a small part, and now the 

cellulosic ethanol situation of the first plants that appear to be able 

to use some stock from the fields without knowing the transportation problems, the logistic support, quite apart from the whole 

marketing effort, which has been jimmied at the filling station 

where oil companies frequently have rejected the agricultural product rather than it having side by side. 

I am just wondering, as you have surveyed the scene, what kind 

of force leadership can you bring not only to the Agriculture Department but to the administration, to the Cabinet, to the attention 

of President-elect Obama—who I know shares many of these 

thoughts from his experiences in Illinois, but at the same time is 

going to need some vigorous proponents such as yourself who are 

able to be marketers for agriculture in the broadest sense. And 

biofuels is certainly on the horizon of something that remains very 

big for all of us in agriculture. 

16 

Mr. VILSACK. Well, Senator, first of all, I would say that I am 

not familiar with your farming operation, but if I were you, I would 

be listening to Chuck Grassley. He does pretty well for himself. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator LUGAR. Mercy. 

Mr. VILSACK. You ask a very critical question about really the future of rural America, and let me begin by saying that there is no 

simple, easy answer or a quick answer to the question you have 

asked. 

First and foremost, it is important and necessary for the USDA 

to continue to look for ways to expand income opportunities for 

farmers, and the biofuel area is one, but not necessarily the only 

area, that can provide hope. The Conservation Stewardship Program provides hope, and also renewable energy. Wind in my State 

has been quite successful in increasing income opportunities and 

also creating new manufacturing jobs in smaller communities. 

So, first and foremost, a combination of aggressive, focused effort, 

particularly in the rural development area of the USDA, can help 

create these opportunities or create the impetus, partnerships, 

leveraging private resources, public resources, working with State 

economic development groups. I know these programs quite well, 

and I am going to encourage, if I am confirmed, that we really look 

for opportunities to reach out to these economic development folks 

and figure out ways in which we can help them put the package 

together. 

Second, I think it is important that we maintain the infrastructure that exists today. You mentioned the challenges today that 

ethanol producers face and ethanol production facilities face. The 

margins are very, very small, and, frankly, you are going to have 

to be a very efficient manager over the course of the next several 

years to do well. 

We can help with our research and development component by 

figuring out ways in which the processing of ethanol can be more 

efficiently done in a less energy-intensive way, in getting more out 

of whatever feedstock we used. That is a research opportunity. 

Likewise, we can begin to really focus our research on the second 

and third-generation feedstocks and all the issues that you mentioned—the transportation issues, the storage issues. 

We can work with States to promote best practices in the marketing of ethanol. One of the things that we did in Iowa was to 

offer a tax credit to the distributor of the ethanol product, suggesting that when they reached a certain volume of sales, they 

would qualify for an income tax credit. That is an innovative and 

creative way. It resulted in competitive pricing for ethanol. Consumers then responded to that competitive price, and the ethanol 

industry grew. 

I think it is also important and necessary for us to recognize that 

it is not just corn and not just the Midwest that needs to benefit. 

As Senator Chambliss suggested, we have a very diverse agriculture in the country, and we need to look for ways in which we 

can bring all regions of the country, from our forests to other farm 

products, to figure out ways in which we can create second and 

third-generation biofuels, and even waste product, looking for ways 

17 

in which we can replicate what nature does, where there really 

isn’t such a thing as waste in nature. Everything has a purpose. 

So there are exciting possibilities, and I think it is important for 

the Secretary of Agriculture to be a champion for those opportunities. This is an extraordinary Department. It has extraordinary 

reach, and it is an opportunity to educate people about what USDA 

does for them every single day. 

So I would say research and development, the rural development 

programs, making sure that the infrastructure is maintained, and 

creating new and innovative ways to market the product are some 

of the ideas that I think USDA, if I am confirmed, will try to put 

into effect. 

Senator LUGAR. I know my time has expired, but I just want to 

make a quick comment before yielding. That is, I note in the USDA 

reports of the last couple of days that people are dismayed that 

there is more corn left over from last year than anticipated, more 

soybeans. The futures markets have not crashed but, nevertheless, 

the price changes in the last 2 days have been tremendously significant. 

Now, this is in the face of a hungry world, and obviously the 

trade system is so bollixed up that even though we are able to 

produce, we are not able to get this food to people around the world 

who need it. And I read that the Chinese are paying their soybean 

farmers very high prices to relieve a political problem, buying our 

soybeans at a much lower price, thus providing some exports to us. 

It is a strange mix, and I encourage you to take a look at how we 

get through the World Trade Organization proposition, because this 

really ties up American agriculture that wants to be productive and 

with a lot of produce out there right now. 

Mr. VILSACK. If I might, with your permission, Senator, I would 

certainly agree with that and also suggest that it is an opportunity 

for America to put a slightly different face on its image worldwide 

by the use of our capacities, our technologies, our knowledge, and 

our food products to basically put it—you know, to challenge the 

world as the President-elect has challenged us. He wants us to end 

child hunger in this country by 2015. That is a challenge we should 

take seriously. There is no reason why we shouldn’t challenge the 

rest of the world to work with us to do the same globally. 

Senator LUGAR. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HARKIN. [Presiding.] Thank you, Senator Lugar, and 

now I turn to Senator Chambliss. 

Senator CHAMBLISS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Governor, my colleague on the House side, and actually my Congressman who represents the 2nd District of Georgia, stopped by 

a little earlier after my opening comments just to ask me to convey 

to you his strong support of your candidacy. Even though the 

House doesn’t get to go through the confirmation process, he wanted to make sure that you understood that he is a strong supporter 

of your nomination. 

Governor, as a Member of the Senate, I have been very concerned that the administration has liberally interpreted language 

in the farm bill and at times has gone beyond the law as written 

and disregarded the accompanying report language. 

18 

For example, the final rule for the Direct and Countercyclical 

Program and Average Crop Revenue Election Program published 

December 29, 2008, makes a change to farm bill commodity programs that was never intended by us when we drafted the farm bill 

and passed it. The following is a quote from the supplementary information contained in the rule: ‘‘In addition to changes required 

by the 2008 farm bill, this rule provides that for the 2009 and subsequent crop years, crop acreage bases will be determined with respect to land owned by Federal agencies.’’ 

The language itself expresses that this termination of base acres 

is not a statutory requirement. Governor, last year, Congress had 

to act to suspend language regarding the 10–base-acre provision for 

2008 because USDA ignored report language that accompanied the 

farm bill. This additional requirement takes us even further from 

the congressional intent. 

Now, simply for the record, Governor, will you pledge to adhere 

to congressional intent in implementing the 2008 farm bill and, if 

there is a question, that you will consult with members of this 

Committee? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, that is a very fair question, and I would 

say that it is my responsibility to do what is necessary to promptly 

and properly implement the farm bill that you all passed. I know 

you worked on it for 2 years. It is an extraordinary piece of legislation. I know that it is important to Members of Congress that 

whatever compromises and decisions that were made to reflect the 

diversity of agriculture that are reflected in that bill be carried out. 

And I think it is important that what we do is consistent with congressional intent, and I would certainly want to work with you and 

other members of the Committee and the Congress to make sure 

that we are following what your intent is. 

I am not going to tell you today that there might not be a disagreement from time to time, but I will you this: that if there is, 

I will be available to respond; and if there is a mistake or a problem, we will rectify it as quickly as we can. 

Senator CHAMBLISS. We did have a disagreement with the current administration over this 10–acre-base issue, as I alluded to 

earlier. Can we get your commitment to revisit that issue? 

Mr. VILSACK. You know, Senator, I think it is a fair statement 

to say that when I get into office, if I am confirmed, I have a lot 

to learn and a lot to review. And it is my intent to become fully 

familiar with all the decisions that have been made to make sure 

that as I go forward, the decisions are carried out properly. 

If there is a problem, I am happy to work with you to work 

through that problem. I honestly, as I testify here today, don’t 

know as much as I need to know or certainly don’t know as much 

as you know about this issue, and I am at a little disadvantage. 

But I will work with you. I commit to doing that. 

Senator CHAMBLISS. That is fair enough. 

Again, just for the record, you and I have talked about this issue, 

the fact that American agriculture is truly American agriculture. 

And while the Midwest is often talked about as the breadbasket of 

America, we have an awful lot of production agriculture all over 

the country, whether it is in the West or the Northeast or the 

Southeast. And you have told me you are going to make sure that 

19 

all segments of agriculture are represented in the Department, and 

I appreciate that and I appreciate your confirmation of that fact 

today. 

Thank you very much, and, Mr. Chairman, I have got some other 

questions, but for the sake of time, I am going to submit them for 

the record and ask that the Governor respond to those in writing. 

[The questions of Hon. Saxby Chambliss can be found on page 

134 in the appendix.] 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much. It is the intention of 

the Chair to allow second rounds of questions. I know some Senators are at other hearings, other nomination hearings, and they 

told me that they would be coming in perhaps later. 

It has been the order of business of this Committee that the 

Chair would recognize Senators in order of their appearance here, 

other than the Ranking Member, of course, and that would mean 

that Senator Grassley would be next. But, Senator Grassley, Senator Casey has something he said he has to do, and I wondered if 

you would mind yielding to him before that. 

Senator Grassley would yield to Senator Casey for this round. 

Senator CASEY. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much, and I want 

to thank Senator Grassley. I have to preside this morning. That is 

one of our duties here in the Senate. We cannot wait for that freshman class to take over more of those hours. 

[Laughter.] 

But, Mr. Chairman, I want to commend you for your leadership 

of this Committee in the 2 years that I have been in the Senate 

and congratulate you on another tenure as Chairman coming up 

and the work you do with the Ranking Member. We appreciate 

that. We are grateful. 

I do want to commend especially Governor Vilsack for taking on 

this responsibility of putting yourself forward again for public service. It has already been a remarkable career of service, as mayor, 

as State senator, as Governor, and now as the nominee for the Department of Agriculture, to run that Department, at, I would say, 

a difficult time in our Nation’s history—tight budgets, economic crisis, the challenge of helping our farm families and helping our farm 

economy. And we are grateful that you are willing to do that at a 

difficult time. I will not support your nomination because you have 

roots from Pennsylvania, but it doesn’t hurt. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator CASEY. I should make a decision based upon other factors. But I am especially grateful that your family is here, your 

wife, Christie, and your family, and that you brought Doug Campbell along with you, a Pittsburgher, who we are very proud of, a 

good man. And I am also grateful that you have spent all these 

years rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates, even when things have not 

gone well. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator CASEY. We figure that your geographic proximity now 

will help them win in the years ahead. 

I wanted to, in the limited time that we have, raise two issues— 

one which we probably will not be able to delve too deeply into, 

which is child nutrition. There is a lot to talk about there. But I 

did want to raise, first of all, the dairy issue, which for me I tend 

20 

to be a broken record because it has got to be part of my middle 

name because of the challenge that dairy farmers and families face 

across the country, but in particular in Pennsylvania. 

As you well know, Governor, dairy prices have fallen by some 50 

percent in just a few weeks. The latest projections are that dairy 

farmers in Pennsylvania will lose $65,000 this year, each one, on 

their milk due to unexpected and extremely low prices. As you 

know from your roots in our State and from your knowledge of 

Pennsylvania and the country, for our State agriculture is our large 

industry, and the dairy segment of that is the largest segment. 

You know the issue with powdered milk, the reporting error that cost $50 million for losses. We know that there is a problem in the 

Department that was responsible for that. And I would ask you on 

that, but also in a broader way, if you would work with me and 

work with others to try to provide reimbursement for dairy farmers, and also to take a look at the statutory authority and the discretion you would have to directly help dairy farmers. And I just 

wanted to get your perspective on that. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, you have alluded to a very serious issue 

as it relates to one segment of agriculture, and it is certainly not 

limited necessarily to Pennsylvania. As you well know, there have 

been some very tragic circumstances in California with dairy farmers who have been so stressed that they have taken their own lives. 

This is something that is reminiscent of what we certainly saw in 

the Midwest in the farm crisis of the 1980’s. And it is a serious 

consequence, and I think it is important for us to look for ways in 

which, through the USDA and the Federal Government, we can assist in relieving some of this stress at this important time. 

The problem is that when you get into these stressful circumstances, then some people decide to liquidate. That then creates a glut, and that further depresses prices. So we need to figure 

out ways and strategies in which we can create some sort of glidepath that basically provides stability in this industry. And I am, if 

confirmed, certainly willing to work with you and other members 

of this Committee, who I know value this very much, to help figure 

out strategies and ways in which we can create that kind of stability that is required. 

I think it is also important—if I can just take your question one 

step further, I think it is also important to recognize the important 

role, again, that rural development plays in providing opportunities 

that supplement and support farm income. In my State in particular, I know that there are an awful lot of folks who work off 

the farm as well as on the farm. And as we strengthen rural communities, as we invest in infrastructure, as we create healthier 

communities, we create more job opportunities that in turn provide 

opportunities for family members or even farmers themselves. That 

is not necessarily true of dairy because it is a 24/7 job. But the concept of a spouse or a child being able to work off the farm can help 

supplement that income, and that is an important role that USDA 

could play. 

As to the specific question you ask about reimbursement, as I 

testify here today, I am not as familiar with that issue as I perhaps 

should be, and I don’t want to make a commitment that I can’t 

keep. I hope you appreciate that. But I will, obviously, by virtue 

21 

of your question, if confirmed, get up to speed on this quite quickly 

and be glad to visit with you about it. 

Senator CASEY. Thank you so much, and I know I am close to 

being out of time, but I wanted to raise quickly—and, Mr. Chairman, I will submit questions for the record as well, which will amplify what I will ask you about on the issue of child nutrition. But 

I know that, among other things this Committee has done well, we 

have spent a lot of time and put a lot of resources into nutrition 

generally. And I want to thank the Chairman for that, and others. 

President-elect Obama has made a commitment to ending childhood hunger by 2015, a worthy goal and one that we should all be 

committed to. Is there anything you can tell us about changes with 

regard to policy in the Department of Agriculture that you would 

want to make a priority? Or is there anything that you have begun 

to focus on in that area? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, I met with Senator Daschle just a couple 

of days ago in an effort to send the message to him as he, if confirmed, assumes the enormous responsibility of taking on our 

health care crisis, my recognition and understanding as a Governor 

how important wellness and prevention is to the ultimate success 

of health care debate. The President-elect challenges us, as you indicated, to end child hunger by 2015. That also intersects in the 

same place that the health care discussion intersects, which is nutrition. And in order for nutrition to be advanced, it is going to be 

important for us to continue to promote fresh fruits and vegetables 

as part of our children’s diets and, for that matter, as part of all 

of our diets. That means that we need to look for ways in which 

we can support those who provide those products and also support 

those who provide them so that they can be locally purchased—locally grown and locally purchased. 

I think there are tremendous opportunities for us to re-engage all 

of us in this effort. You know, my hope would be that with the 

President-elect’s leadership, we would not just simply grow fruits 

and vegetables in rural communities, but that we grow them everywhere, and that we make a serious effort to market good eating 

habits as a way of helping your country, if you will. I want to be 

part of that, if confirmed. 

I think it is also important, as you reauthorize the child nutrition 

programs, there is obviously a critical component that USDA can 

play in providing advice and direction and a framework that you 

might consider as to how those programs could help move toward 

the President-elect’s goal of ending hunger. 

And there is also, obviously, during these tough economic times, 

assistance to food banks. If there are surplus products, then we 

need to figure out ways in which we can get those surplus products 

to food banks to people who actually need the food. 

You know, if you take a step back and you take a look, even with 

the difficulties we face today, this is a powerful, rich country. And 

none of us should be satisfied that there are children going to bed 

hungry. They are the future of this country, and if they are hungry, 

they will have more difficulty learning. They will most likely get 

sick or sicker, which creates additional problems. So this is something that needs to be aggressively addressed. 

22 

Senator CASEY. Thank you very much. I look forward to working 

with you. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you, Senator Casey. 

Senator Grassley? 

Senator GRASSLEY. Governor, once you are confirmed, I would 

like to have you take a look at a letter that I sent to the Department NRCS early in December. It deals with something I know you 

know well about—the situation in Iowa. You have been a champion 

for conservation in Iowa, and you know about the flooding situation 

that we had. Iowa has some serious needs for emergency watershed 

dollars that are there. I would like to have you look into this and 

find out why more of our EWP money has not been allocated to the 

States yet. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, I will certainly—if confirmed, that will be 

a question that I will be happy to ask and see if I can get an answer for you. 

Senator GRASSLEY. OK. Thank you. 

Mr. VILSACK. And I hope, if confirmed, that I do as good a job 

as you have done in your career of responding to letters and constituent concerns. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that. 

And thank you for the good words about me. Thank you. 

No. 2, throughout numerous administrations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has struggled with civil rights issues. I think 

you spoke to this in your opening statement, so that is a pretty 

strong statement you made. You have acknowledged it as a challenge and will be working from day one to resolve outstanding 

backlogs and claims. So I would like to get—it might tell us where 

you are coming from if you could tell us while Governor—and I 

don’t remember from the times you were Governor this specific 

issue, but were you ever challenged at the State government level 

with civil rights complaints? And how were they ultimately settled 

and what role as a leader you might have had in that? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, toward the tail end of my second term, 

issues were raised concerning allegations or concerns in employment practices in the hiring of minorities in State government. We 

commissioned with the NAACP a study to determine precisely 

what the cause or causes of these problems were. That report was 

issued just as I was leaving office, and I know that Governor Culver made a commitment to follow through on the recommendations 

and changes in employment practices. 

What I learned from that experience and what I would share 

with this Committee is that discrimination comes in a variety of 

forms, and most often when we think of discrimination, we think 

of it in the form of very obvious discrimination. But what is also, 

I think, the case is that there is sort of implied discrimination, inherent discrimination in terms of how people ask questions and 

how they interpret answers when they are interviewing individuals 

for jobs. And I think we have to be sensitive to that. 

So from that experience, I am quite sensitive to the employment 

practices issue within USDA, and one of the things I hope to be 

able to do, if confirmed, is to send a very clear message that we 

have to be very sensitive to all of these issues and that we have 

to do a better job than we have done in the employment area of 

23 

making sure that opportunities are open for everyone and that 

there is not some kind of implied bias or prejudice that we may not 

even be aware of. We have to be very aware of this, very sensitive 

to it. 

I think it is also important for us to set very clear expectations 

in all of the programming of USDA, that it is to be made available 

to everyone, that everyone should have an equal opportunity of 

participation. We want everybody to succeed. We all benefit when 

that happens. And I think there are technology issues; I think 

there is the need for clear directives. I think you recognized all of 

this in creating the outreach program in the farm bill. I am looking 

forward to working with folks to create, if confirmed, an outreach 

and advocacy program that makes sure that people understand 

what the programs are, make sure that they understand precisely 

what they have to do to be able to qualify to apply. And we need 

to take a look at the application process. Is there some hidden message in the way in which we make people apply for these programs? 

I can remember distinctly as Governor coming into office, in the 

child health care program, and I asked to see the application for 

the children’s health insurance program, which we call ‘‘Hawkeye’’ 

in our State. I was surprised to see it was 14 pages long. So I started filling it out. I have got a law degree, I am not the sharpest pencil in the box, but I quit about page 3. I thought, My gosh, I don’t 

know the answers to all these questions. 

So, I mean, I think there is a lot that needs to be done to send 

the message and to get the results that you all have expected us 

to get for quite some time that you have not been satisfied with, 

and you have every reason not to be satisfied. 

And then there are the lawsuits. I mean, there are a multitude 

of lawsuits, and having had some experience in class action litigation, I mean, there is work to be done to get these matters resolved 

and to have justice realized. And that ought to be—the USDA 

ought to be about that. And if confirmed, I am going to do everything I possibly can to make sure that message is clear. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Mr. Chairman, could I please ask one more 

question? And I will not come back for a second round then. Thank 

you. 

You probably know that I spend a lot of time is what is called 

oversight here, and some of our information from oversight comes 

from people that I honestly believe come to us in the Congress 

when they have no other place to turn and haven’t been heard elsewhere. We call them ‘‘whistleblowers.’’ Sometimes that is used as 

a denigrating term. I don’t use it that way. I value candid, 

unfiltered information that Congress gets about executive branch 

activities. Many whistleblowers often come forward and face retaliation by agencies they work for, and that retaliation may be as 

straightforward as being terminated, and it could be cloaked as reassignment or shifting of duties to kind of drive people crazy in 

their job. Either way, this retaliation is exactly why Congress 

passed the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 and countless 

other laws containing such protections. 

I would like to have—I know the word ‘‘commitment’’ is probably 

difficult for you to deal with because you don’t know what you face, 

24 

but could you give me sort of where you are coming from that there 

will not be retaliation against Department of Agriculture whistleblowers and instead work with them to address concerns that they 

raise; where you might be coming from in ensuring that every 

whistleblower is treated fairly, and that those who retaliate against 

whistleblowers are held accountable? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, first of all, let me say that my hope would 

be that we never have to have a whistleblower. My hope would be 

that, if confirmed, we would run a Department where employees 

who felt that they were not being treated fairly had some avenue 

within the Department for resolution and that we were fair and 

reasonable in trying to resolve difficulties. 

If for whatever reason we fail in that effort, despite the effort, 

there obviously needs to be a way in which you can do your constitutionally required job of making sure that I am doing my constitutionally required job. And I don’t have a problem with that, 

and I don’t think we are going to tolerate punishment or making 

it more difficult for people who tell the truth. I don’t think that is 

a very good signal to send about a Government. 

We will make mistakes, and I am here to tell you today while 

I am concerned about making commitments, I can make this commitment: We will make mistakes. But I hope that we learn from 

them, and I hope that we are large enough to acknowledge them. 

Senator GRASSLEY. I will end with one sentence, and it comes 

from your use of the word ‘‘truth,’’ people expressing the truth. The 

grandfather—I call him the ‘‘grandfather of whistleblowers,’’ Ernie 

Fitzgerald, a Pentagon whistleblower. He says, ‘‘The only thing 

whistleblowers are guilty of is committing truth.’’ 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Grassley. 

Again, the list I have in order of appearance, next would be Senator Leahy, then Senator Roberts, Senator Lincoln, Senator Klobuchar, Senator Cochran, in that order. 

Senator Leahy. 

Senator LEAHY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you 

and Ranking Member Chambliss for holding this. 

Governor, it is great to see you. It is always great to see you. 

And, Mrs. Vilsack, I am delighted about what you have done on 

reading. My sister, Mary, runs an adult basic education program 

in Vermont, and teaching people to read, especially at an early age, 

is so important. I compliment you on that, and I hope while you 

are in Washington you have a chance to do even more of that. 

You notice I say ‘‘when you are in Washington,’’ because I fully 

expect you to be confirmed, Governor. I was pleased when the 

President-elect announced that he was going to nominate you. I 

think it is great. Of course, as you know, here we have people with 

all kinds of parochial interests, but we also have a general interest 

in the whole country in agriculture. And you and I had a very good 

chat in my office, and I know dairy has been mentioned. That is 

of significance in our State, but organic is, too. I wrote the first Organic Production Act back in 1990 when people thought it might 

be just a niche thing. And, fortunately, my friend from Iowa here 

supported me on it, as did others, both Republicans and Democrats, 

Senator Lugar and others. It is now a $20 billion industry. 

25 

I am worried that in USDA the Department has not kept up with 

probably the most rapid growing part of agriculture, and I hope I 

have your commitment that you would make sure the Department 

pays attention to the Organic Standards Act and tries to promote 

organic farming. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, I haven’t shared this with everyone, but 

I started out in my county seat law practice doing income tax returns for farmers, and I can tell you, this time of year brings back 

memories of folks bringing on grocery sacks full of papers and receipts and calendars that numbers were written on, dumping it on 

the desk and saying, ‘‘Here is my income tax information. I hope 

you do not charge me more than $25 for my tax return.’’ 

[Laughter.] 

Senator LEAHY. Sounds like Vermont farmers. Go ahead. 

Mr. VILSACK. That may be universal, I suspect. 

I learned how difficult farming is and how difficult it is to make 

a living. And those of us who are consumers, we sometimes forget 

that, and we sometimes fail to appreciate that. 

That led me to the conclusion that it was necessary in policy to 

try to promote as many income opportunities as possible for farm 

families, to give them a diverse menu of options. And certainly you 

have mentioned the fact that organic farming is a rapidly growing 

part of agriculture and a rapidly growing part of people’s diet and 

nutrition decisions. And we need to recognize that, we need to support it, and we need to celebrate it. 

Senator LEAHY. And, Governor, I think the thing that will keep 

it working is if the standards are kept strict; otherwise, the market, especially with a lot of people who are paying, in effect, premium prices for organic food, they will say why do it if there is no 

difference. 

I think it is essential that the Department of Agriculture be able 

to say these are the standards, they are being implemented, but 

they are also being enforced. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, I would agree with you. It is part of the 

responsibility, if we are going to put our seal, if you will, or our 

certificate on something and certify to you as a consumer that it 

is what it is, it is important that it means something. 

Senator LEAHY. My other question will be put in the record, but 

there is one I wanted to ask while I still have time. We have a 

broadband and loan guarantee program, rural development has. It 

has not been fully utilized. I know in Vermont we have a $100 million fiber-to-home project that could go into effect immediately if 

they had the loan guarantees as the Upper Valley of Vermont. It 

would create jobs, but it enables even more jobs. 

It cannot be like the old days before rural electrification. I told 

you I still remember my grandparents telling me in Vermont when 

they first turned a light switch on. Now you wouldn’t think of any 

part of the country without electricity. But we can’t have parts of 

the country without broadband. We can create a lot of jobs in my 

State of Vermont, you can in Iowa and elsewhere in rural areas if 

you have broadband. 

So I would hope that you will work with your rural development 

department and say you have got the authority for that program, 

let’s get it out into rural areas where they do not have broadband. 

26 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, one of the things I am proudest of in 

terms of what I did as Governor in terms of rural issues was to aggressively promote broadband access, high-speed access. It is a job 

creator immediately, obviously, as people install whatever mechanism you ultimately decide to provide the access in. Then it is also 

a job creator afterwards because it creates opportunities for small 

businesses in the rural communities to have access not just to a 

local market, but to a global market. And that is the power of it. 

That is the beauty of it. 

You know, people often don’t realize how significant rural communities can be in relationship to urban centers. We deal with traffic congestion. We deal with population increases in urban centers. 

One of the ways we can address that is by creating vibrant rural 

communities where people feel comfortable living and have all the 

amenities to take some of the pressure off urban centers. 

So this is a very, very important issue for your State, but it is 

a very important issue for the country, and it is important for us 

not to put broadband necessarily where there is already broadband. 

That is fine. It brings the prices down. But it does not address the 

issue that you have addressed, which is that there are some parts 

of the country that do not have it and should have it. 

Senator LEAHY. Well, thank you, Governor. I suspect you and I 

will be working a lot together during the time that you are Secretary. 

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Senator Chambliss, thank 

you. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you, Senator Leahy. 

Senator Roberts. 

Senator ROBERTS. Well, Governor, thank you for being here today 

and thank you for meeting with me previously to discuss the future 

of the Department of Agriculture and agriculture program policy. 

Mr. Chairman, I don’t know if there has been a coup or if Harry 

Reid has informed you, but apparently I have the gavel. I have the 

gavel, sir, and—— 

[Laughter.] 

Senator LEAHY. The Sergeant-at-Arms wondered who stole that. 

Senator ROBERTS. Well, it was just here. It magically appeared, 

and I didn’t know whether Senator Chambliss had anything to do 

with that or not. But I am going to make sure that you have it, 

sir. I have ridden point, and I have ridden drag. Point is better 

with that gavel, but that is beside the point. 

Chairman HARKIN. Well, I just thought you were so speedy. You 

are always so speedy. And since you chaired the House Committee, 

I figured you would be back here before everybody else, and so we 

just sent it down for you to take charge, because you are so fast 

on everything. 

Senator ROBERTS. We were walking a slow pace with a fast 

schedule. 

Governor, first of all, thank you. Because everybody in agriculture mentions exports, and I do want to thank you from the 

standpoint of Kansas for allowing us the exports of your best basketball players to Kansas University and to Kansas State. I really 

appreciate that. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, this is not getting off to a good start. 

27 

[Laughter.] 

Senator ROBERTS. You are going to find that the Department is 

a marvelous place, and it is full of outstanding staff, full of folks 

who have dedicated their careers to providing rural America with 

options and opportunities. Ag policy today, as we discussed and as 

you have stated in your commentary, covers a swath of programs 

that are often subject to intense and sometimes unwarranted criticism. You have quite a challenge ahead of you, but I am sure that 

you are up to it. 

I can remember one of the press conferences where the President-elect said we have to control spending in relation to the stimulus bill. And they said, ‘‘Well, where would you cut?’’ That, of 

course, is the first question in the debate. ‘‘Where would you specifically cut?’’ And he said, ‘‘Well, there are always ag subsidies.’’ 

I think that is just sort of a given, you know, for anybody that is 

not familiar with production agriculture. 

So we not only need a Secretary, we need a spokesman, we need 

a champion, and we need an educator. You responded to that in 

our personal meeting, and I hope you will continue to do that. 

We do face historic challenges. We have a saying in cattle country that when the weather is rough, the trail boss is only as good 

as the cowhands that ride with him. And I think you will find that 

with this Committee. We are probably one of the least partisan 

committees in that either we have to hang together or hang separately. And that is about the way it is. 

There is a lot of criticism of agriculture recently, much of it coming from folks who either do not understand or do not appreciate 

what I call production agriculture. And this gets into a definition 

that you find in the press a lot today and in commentary today extolling the virtues of the ‘‘small family farmer.’’ 

Now, I am going to be a little sarcastic here, but with all due respect to small production agriculture and what we have been talking about, more especially the produce that the farmers bring into 

the county seat and you can touch and feel and look in the eye your 

own farmer and you can see the produce, I think that is fine. But 

that small family farmer is about 5–foot–2—I am looking to see if 

Mr. Leahy is still here—from Vermont, and he is a retired airline 

pilot. He sits on his porch on the glider reading Gentleman’s Quarterly. He used to read the Wall Street Journal but that got, pretty 

grim. Then his wife works as a stockbroker, downtown. And he has 

40 acres, and he has a pond, and he has an orchard, and he grows 

organic apples. Sometimes there is a little more protein in those 

apples than, people bargain for, but he is very happy to have that. 

Then we have something called a production agriculture farmer. 

Now, that person is an Iowan. He has 2,000 acres and he farms 

with his Dad. Two brothers have gone because they can’t really 

sustain that on the farm. His counterpart in Kansas, in my part 

of the country, has 10,000 acres, and his tractor costs about 

$350,000. I mean, it is amazing in terms of the cost. But these 

folks are the folks that produce the food and fiber for America and 

a troubled and hungry world. And I hope that given all of our support for organic agriculture and for specialty crops and all of that, 

which I am totally for, that we do not ignore the person who really 

28 

produces the food and fiber for this country. And I hope you are 

a champion in that regard. 

There are some that want to change the mission of the USDA. 

Some think that the Department should be called the department 

of food or nutrition or hunger or, really, I think what they want 

is a department of anything but agriculture. And I just don’t think, 

again, that we should lose sight of the fact that our farmers and 

ranchers do produce the food and fiber that now we desperately 

need worldwide. 

Our commodity programs are often criticized and seldom praised 

by those who have neither worked in a field nor whose livelihood 

depends on the weather. But for those that do, these programs are 

indeed necessary. I think others have said that. We must be fiscally responsible and frugal if we are going to compete in the global 

marketplace. And these programs only represent a mere one-quarter of 1 percent of Federal spending. 

I think hopefully that you and your Assistant Secretary nominees understand and appreciate what our producers go through. I 

know you do. They must recognize that American farmers and 

ranchers do actually produce the safest, most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. Speech over. 

Can you assure me, when you and President-elect Obama are 

considering nominees for your ag posse, that you will make this a 

top concern and that you will whisper these not so—well, they are 

not sweet nothings, they are sweet somethings—in the ear of the 

President-elect? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, again, hearkening back to my days of 

practicing law in the 1980’s during the farm crisis, I had an opportunity to represent a lot of those production agriculture farmers 

you just referred to. These are good people. These are hard-working 

people. These are folks who have a value system that is not just 

important to them; I would argue it is important to us, to this 

country. It is about family. It is about faith. It is about community. 

It is about hard work. And it is about getting up every morning 

recognizing that what you do doesn’t just impact your family and 

doesn’t just feed your family, but it feeds a lot of families. Agriculture is a very complicated business and a very sophisticated 

business, and that sometimes is not recognized. 

So, first and foremost, let me tell you that I do understand and 

appreciate the role that anyone in Government has to educate citizens about what we do in Government and who we work for. Let 

me also say that I do appreciate the diversity of agriculture, not 

just the geographic diversity but the diversity of kinds of agriculture, and that it is the job of the USDA to be responsive and 

representative of all of that diversity and to be supportive of that 

diversity. And that is what I expect the folks who will be working 

with me to understand and appreciate and do every day. 

Senator ROBERTS. I appreciate your comments, and that was a 

very eloquent statement. Just one more question, Mr. Chairman. 

I want to talk about crop insurance just a minute and how vital 

it is to our producers, and I think that Senator Grassley stated 

this. I stated this to you when you visited with me, and I know the 

distinguished Chairman knows this. There are more crop insurance 

companies in Iowa than in any other State, and they really provide 

29 

vital assistance to producers when they are going through tough 

times, whether it be falling crop prices, weather or whatever, and 

our Kansas producers experience the same thing. 

The folks on the front line of this program, a lot of hard-working 

agents on the ground, not only explain to producers what coverage 

is needed on their operations, but also make sure that loss claims 

are processed quickly. 

Now, Governor, we are sitting here in Dirksen G50, and this is 

the scene of the great Ag Conference Committee that produced the 

2008 farm bill. It was a little unusual. The Chairman and I were 

a little startled to see that we had 61 members of that Ag Conference, where we usually have about 20. I made the comment 

when the person allegedly in charge in the House made four 

speeches and said four times he didn’t know why he was there. I 

also made the comment that it looked like the bar scene from ‘‘Star 

Wars,’’ but that may be a little drastic. But there were a lot of people there that weren’t involved in production agriculture. I have no 

problem with the programs that they want. But they actually acted 

like Lizzie Borden, and after they gave us one whack, why, they 

gave us about 41 others. And we paid for other programs to the 

tune of $6 billion, including salmon recovery in California, and I 

didn’t like that. And I think if these programs are justified, we 

should fund them, but not at the expense of crop insurance. 

Unfortunately, that is what we did. That is what we had to do 

under PAYGO. I am not blaming anybody on this Committee. I am 

certainly not blaming the Chairman because he knows the value of 

crop insurance. But we had a lot of other people in the room, and 

all of a sudden crop insurance became a bank. 

I would sure like your assurance that will not continue because 

that is a very vital and needed program. 

Thank you. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, I would be a bit remiss if I tried to guarantee or commit the actions of any Member of Congress. I can’t do 

that. But what I can do is this: I can recognize and state the necessity of having a crop insurance program as a risk management tool 

among many risk management tools that have been incorporated 

in all of the activities of this Committee. It is important to have 

the Crop Insurance Program. It is important to do what you all 

want us to do, which is to implement the Disaster Payment Program in concert with the Crop Insurance Program, and it is important to do it in a way that is beneficial to producers and fair to taxpayers. And I am committed to doing that if I am confirmed. 

Senator ROBERTS. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HARKIN. Senator Lincoln. 

Senator LINCOLN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, 

Senator Chambliss, for again bringing our Ag Committee together. 

And welcome, Governor. Congratulations to you for your nomination to fill the Ag Secretary position in the new Obama administration. We are excited to have you here and are looking forward to 

being able to work with you. 

As you touched upon in your opening statement, Governor, it is 

a critical time for our country. We face an economic crisis of hisVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:34 Feb 26, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\49575.TXT SAG2 PsN: SAG2
30 

toric proportions and ramifications which, I think, will very likely 

challenge USDA on almost all of its fronts. 

On hunger, the number of food-insecure households will continue 

to increase, as it has in the past few months. We have seen it in 

Arkansas, and I am sure my colleagues have seen it in their States. 

I certainly look forward to working with you, Governor, should you 

be confirmed, on the child nutrition and the WIC reauthorization, 

which is so critically important to States like mine, and many others. 

In agriculture, in the past year producers have seen the bottom 

fall out of the commodity markets. They have been hit by natural 

disasters in my State and in other States—your State as well—and 

have experienced record-high costs of production. 

And to add to their difficulties, the rules of the 2008 farm bill 

have not yet been finalized, and as Senator Chambliss mentioned, 

some of what is being proposed is completely out of the ball park, 

quite frankly, from what our intent was when we met in that ‘‘Star 

Wars’’ barroom to come up with that farm bill. 

It was a very, I think, compromising situation where we all were 

willing to compromise to come up with a good package that reflected the entire country. Many of us gave in areas, but we were 

fortunate that our colleagues understood that we had needs in our 

own specific areas. 

So it was a very delicate compromise in terms of what we came 

up with in that farm bill. But to have the administration, the current administration come up with rules that have nothing to do 

with what our intent was is extremely frustrating, but it is also 

going to be enormously complicating the producers that are already 

out there trying to figure out what they are going to do with this 

crop year. 

So we hope that you will work with us that and understand, 

again, the way that we come together to both recognize and respect 

one another’s diversities and understand the importance of what 

we did in that compromise and hopefully work with us to see that 

it is implemented in a fair and just way. 

You are well aware our food security, conservation of our natural 

resources, rural economic vitality, and increasingly our energy 

independence are all tied to the success of America’s agriculture 

and these hard-working farm families across all of our States. And 

I really do look forward to working with you to ensure that we continue to promote policy that effectively supports the diversity of agriculture we have in there. 

As Senator Roberts mentioned, we are looking for a champion. 

We are looking for someone who is going to really recognize the 

hard work, the dedication, the pride that exists in all of our farm 

families, not just a few of them in a few States that do something 

maybe a way that is familiar to you, but to all of our farm families. 

I come from one. I come from a seventh-generation Arkansas 

farm family, and I can certainly express the unbelievable pride 

that our family has had through the years of being able to not only 

be productive but to also have tremendous respect for the environment and respect for their Government and what their Government 

at USDA asks of them in terms of reporting requirements and 

meeting regulations, like the Clean Air Act or the Clean Water 

31 

Act—a good sense of pride of knowing that Government is going to 

work with them to really do what we all can do the best that we 

can do. 

So we look forward to working with you, and I think, what we 

all want to do is help ensure that the blessings of American agriculture are here for future generations and that there is something 

we can share with the rest of the world. And we are looking to you 

for that championship at USDA. 

Just a couple of questions. There is no other country in the world 

that does have such an affordable, safe, and abundant supply of 

food. One key reason is that the food is produced in all corners of 

our Nation and there is great diversity among those crops. Another 

reason is our country’s proven farm policy and the ability for all 

facets of agriculture to come together and really rally behind a cohesive farm bill, as we have talked about. Whether it is wheat 

farmers in Kansas or rice and cotton farmers in Arkansas, sugar 

growers in Minnesota, cotton and peanut growers in Georgia, or 

corn farmers in your own home State, we all have to work closely 

to ensure America’s security of food and also maintain our trade 

surplus, which really the only surplus we have in trade right now 

is in agriculture. 

Maybe you might speak just a few moments about how you are 

going to work with and represent all of the growers across the 

country, especially those crops that you might be less familiar with. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, let me first of all start by just making a 

comment in response to your comments generally. 

You mentioned the food assistance efforts, and I would just, as 

you well know, point out what a stimulating impact they can have 

not just on providing food to families but also encouraging the 

economy to grow and expand. There have been studies that suggest 

for every dollar that you spend in food assistance, you actually generate $7 in the economy, and that is something to keep in mind as 

you deal with the challenges of a tough economy. 

My job, as you have so well stated, is to represent virtually every 

aspect of agriculture in all parts of the country, and so let me say 

that I think that there are a lot of parallels and a lot of similarities. Regardless of where you farm or ranch, it is always a difficult 

struggle because so much of what you do, you have no control over. 

As I mentioned before, you don’t have control over input costs; 

you don’t have control over the weather; you don’t have control 

over an invasive species that may come in without any fault of 

yours. You have no control over somebody doing something in one 

field that contaminates or creates difficulties for you in another 

field. So you have very little control, so it is very difficult. 

Recognizing that there is a similarity in agriculture, regardless 

of whether it is in Arkansas or Iowa or Georgia or Wyoming or 

wherever it might be, I think is important to convey, and I intend 

to convey that. I appreciate how difficult it is. I appreciate how important it is. 

I think it is also true that whether you are a cotton farmer in 

Georgia or you are a rice farmer in Arkansas, you ought to have 

multiple opportunities that the USDA supports so that you can 

make a living for your family. So that means aggressively promoting the Conservation Stewardship Program as it would be utiVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:34 Feb 26, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\49575.TXT SAG2 PsN: SAG2
32 

lized in the best way in your State, which may be different than 

it might be in Iowa. 

It means aggressively promoting export opportunities and using 

all of the tools in our Foreign Agricultural Service to promote 

American products to make sure that we are getting a fair deal on 

the world markets and to address any concerns that our trading 

partners may have about our quality or quantity. 

It means using research and development to create and find alternative uses for products that we currently grow, opening up additional markets, or figuring out ways in which we can produce it 

for less or more efficiently. Also, the opportunity is absolutely countrywide for a discussion about climate change and the role and impact that agriculture generally will play in climate change. How 

can we reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture? What research 

and development can we provide, regardless what kind of farming 

you have? Versus how can we utilize our farm fields and our forests as carbon sinks, as depositories for carbon, as creative ways 

to reduce our carbon footprint nationally and globally? And then 

how do we use our technology, our knowledge, our food to put a different face of America to the rest of the world? 

I mean, there are multiple opportunities here, and USDA has to 

do it all. 

Senator LINCOLN. Well, we are looking forward to working with 

you. Just on two of those that you have mentioned, I do have quick 

questions. 

You mentioned crop insurance. It is a very valuable tool for many 

farmers around the country, including in your home State of Iowa. 

In the 2008 farm bill, when we did have those compromises in the 

conferences we met, we added a new standing disaster program 

that complements the Federal Crop Insurance Program. Unfortunately, crop insurance and now this new SURE Disaster Program 

do not meet the risk needs that we have of rice farmers in Arkansas and in other States. Our capital expenditures are a tremendous 

risk that our farmers put out up front. The hurricanes this past 

year that affected crops as far north as Arkansas evidenced the 

shortcomings of these programs as they related to rise crops and 

rice growers. 

But I do believe, Governor, that an aggressive effort by the new 

administration to use some of their existing authorities in the development of effective and affordable crop insurance products for 

rice would address this hole in the system, helping us move away 

from costly and unbudgeted, ad hoc disaster programs that nobody 

wants to have to go through. 

I hope that you will commit to working with me and others in 

the Congress that represent rice-growing States, and certainly our 

rice growers across this country, to actively pursue this goal. If 

crop insurance is the way that people feel it necessary to go, let us 

make sure that it works for everybody. And I think you have the 

authority or you will have the authority at USDA to be able to 

work with us to make that happen. So I hope that we will have 

your commitment on that. 

The next thing is trade. When the Doha Round negotiations 

began, there was a general agreement among farmers and ranchers 

that a new agreement could offer greater market access for AmerVerDate Nov 24 2008 12:34 Feb 26, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\49575.TXT SAG2 PsN: SAG2
33 

ican farm goods, even though it was understood that we might 

have to make some concessions in the area of our domestic support. 

But, unfortunately, since negotiations began, ambitions for any 

meaningful market access have almost completely dropped off— 

dropped off deeply. I mean gone. And in my judgment, 

unsustainable cuts to domestic programs and domestic support are 

still on the table. 

I would like to know if you are going to work with Congress to 

ensure that any new WTO agreement is a net plus for all of U.S. 

agriculture and that we do not start out in the red for American 

agriculture in any agreements or discussions that we have. And I 

want to thank you for answer to Senator Casey on children’s hunger, ending child hunger. As one of the co-chairs and founders of 

the Senate Hunger Caucus, it is incredibly important. But those 

two are important to me as well. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, let me just comment briefly on your comments. Agriculture is important to trade and trade is important to 

agriculture. I think you start with that basic premise. 

I think you also recognize, or at least I certainly know you do, 

and I certainly recognize, after having attended the WTO hearings 

and meetings in Seattle in 1999 and watching people talk about 

agreements on computers and manufactured goods with relative 

ease, and then having complete barriers whenever discussions of 

agriculture entered the conversation. And it impressed upon me 

how much culture there is in agriculture and how significant that 

is, since 170–plus countries actually grow or produce something, 

and it is central to who they are. And it is central to who we are 

in this country. We are no different than any of the developing 

countries that have concerns. 

I think it is important for USDA to be aggressively engaged in 

all of these conversations and discussions to protect the interests 

of American farmers to make sure that they are not bargained 

away without knowing the full ramifications of what is being discussed. I have a lot of confidence in the U.S. Trade Representative 

designee, Ron Kirk, to understand that. But I think it is incumbent 

upon us to be there as a partner with him and others who are engaged in these discussions. I think it is an important role. I see it 

as an important role. And I look forward to working with you on 

that and on other issues. 

In terms of crop insurance, let me just say that, first of all, as 

I said earlier, it is an important risk management tool that you 

recognize, and what we need to do is we want to make sure that 

how we use this tool is good for producers. 

Senator LINCOLN. All producers. 

Mr. VILSACK. All producers, and is good for the taxpayers. And 

that is sometimes a delicate balance, but we need to find it. And 

as you say, the benefit of finding it is that it can significantly reduce the ad hoc disaster payments that often occur when weather 

conditions result in the loss of a crop and can devastate a family 

and a community. 

Senator LINCOLN. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much. 

Senator Klobuchar. 

34 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

Thank you, Governor. As your neighbor to the north, I welcome you 

and have been able to see firsthand from not too far away your successful tenure as Governor. And I am sure we will be calling you 

‘‘Secretary’’ soon. I try to avoid any Iowa jokes. 

Mr. VILSACK. Thank you. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Minnesota is big on Iowa jokes. But I just 

couldn’t avoid the one about what is the best thing that comes from 

Iowa? Interstate 35W. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. But then I would amend that to include 

Senator Harkin and you, of course. 

You know, Minnesota shares a lot, of course, with your home 

State, and we have worked very well with Senator Harkin and Senator Grassley on the many agriculture issues. We are fifth in the 

country for the largest agriculture producing State. We have more 

than 79,000 farms in Minnesota, so the Department of Agriculture’s actions are of tremendous importance to the people of our 

State, for everything from conservation to commodities to highspeed Internet access to rural water loans. So I am very glad that 

you have been nominated for this position because of your knowledge of how complex the issues are facing rural America. 

I know that Senator Thune talked to you about the ethanol blend 

issue. It is something I have been working on with him and a few 

others. I think it is very important that we keep this infant industry going. I think that there will be a transition in the industry to 

cellulosic ethanol, and I am very interested in that as well. But I 

think it is very important that we make sure that we do not pull 

the rug out from under what is so promising of the biofuels industry. 

One of my questions is along that line in that the 2008 farm bill 

included a provision called the Biomass Crop Transition Assistance 

Program. It offered a system of incentives for farmers who want to 

be pioneers in the next generation of biofuels and are willing to 

take the risk of growing energy crops. I want to know if you are 

on board with that idea and how quickly you think it can be implemented. I suppose you will want to wait until you get in there, but 

we are very anxious to get that started in our State. 

Mr. VILSACK. Well, first of all, Senator, I am smart enough to 

know that I shouldn’t respond with any Minnesota jokes. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. No, no. I would like you to do that. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. That would add some levity. I would like 

that, Governor. I can bring that home. 

Mr. VILSACK. I will leave that up to the Chairman who has 

power. I don’t have any. 

In terms of the biomass and bio-crop/biofuel issue, let me say 

that the farm bill contains a wide variety of programs that are designed to incent and develop and create and support new ways to 

produce biofuels, support for existing ways to produce biofuels, new 

ways to market biofuels. All of that is important, and all of it has 

to be focused and directed. 

This is an industry that is in some difficulty. Margins are quite 

small, even for the best producers. It is an industry where the 

35 

smaller production facilities are really challenged, and some consolidation has taken place and may very well continue to take 

place. But it is important to continue to maintain the infrastructure because if you are going to transition at some point in time 

to cellulosic ethanol, you have to have the capacity to produce it. 

And you don’t want that hundreds of millions of dollars, billions of 

dollars that has already been invested not to be fully utilized. 

And so there are many missions for USDA as it relates to 

biofuels, but I can tell you that it is my desire, if confirmed, to 

make sure that we are very disciplined, we are very focused, and 

we are very aggressive in promoting all of the programs, because 

they are all important. You can produce all the biofuel in the 

world, but if you don’t have a market for it, it is not going to work. 

You can have a great market, but if you can’t produce it, it won’t 

work. You can have a market and produce it, but if you can’t transport it or you can’t get it to where it is going to be utilized, it won’t 

work. 

So you need a comprehensive approach utilizing all of the programs and, if confirmed, I am committed to working on that. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Very good. We also have been doing some 

ground-breaking work at the University of Minnesota on food safety, and time and time again, our university is the one that figures 

out if there is a problem, including this latest salmonella in peanut 

butter at the University of Minnesota. 

What are your thoughts on the food safety issue? And do you 

have some plans of how you think we need to reform our system? 

Despite what we know, that there are many, many safe foods and 

safe processes in our country, but clearly, there have been some 

issues lately, and I wondered what your thoughts were on that. 

Mr. VILSACK. You know, one of the most important jobs of the 

United States Department of Agriculture is to work in partnership 

and cooperation with other Federal agencies to ensure that Americans do indeed have not just an ample supply of food but that it 

is indeed safe. As science continues to expand our knowledge about 

pathogens and other challenges to the safety and security of our 

food supply, we need to make sure that whatever our system is for 

ensuring the safety of the food supply is consistent with the 

science. 

And so what I perceive as a need for us to modernize our inspection and surveillance systems so it is focused on prevention and 

mitigation—prevention in terms of finding out precisely what 

causes these difficulties and preventing it to begin with; and mitigation, being able to quickly determine there is a problem and contain it. 

You mentioned the peanut butter issue. It is interesting that this 

peanut butter was sold in just a small handful of States. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Exactly. 

Mr. VILSACK. But somehow 25, 23, 24 States are now involved. 

So it poses the need for serious attention to mitigation. So my hope 

is that, A, we can establish a 21st century system using the best 

available science; and, B, that we can do a better job of coordination and cooperation with other Federal agencies that are involved 

in this so that we have as seamless a system and as efficient a system as possible. 

36 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Thank you. A few unique Minnesota issues. 

The sugar policy, of course, we have 30,000 jobs in the Red River 

Valley between our State and North Dakota, and we have seen 

that as a success; it is zero on the Federal budget. And hopefully 

you will be supportive of that as we go forward in the implementation of that policy. 

The second thing is the Forest Service part of your job. I am not 

sure if anyone asked about that, but in Minnesota, as you know, 

we have a lot of trees, logging. My grandfather was not just an iron 

ore miner. He was also a logger. And I have heard from people in 

northern Minnesota, both loggers as well as environmentalists, of 

the concern about the budget for the U.S. Forest Service. We have 

seen the part of the budget Chairman Harkin devoted to firefighting because of the increased fires we have seen across the 

country, some in part, I think, due to climate change—and I going 

to the EPA confirmation hearing right after this. The part of the 

budget devoted to fire fighting has gone from 20 to 50 percent, taking away critical resources for things like forest management that 

could be used to help manage the forests. 

Any thoughts on this? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, first of all, the Forest Service is an important and integral part of this Department, and it has a multitude 

of issues and a multitude of missions. It not only provides timber, 

as you have alluded to, but it is a great source of recreation and 

opportunity for people. It is a national treasure. It is also a reservoir. A lot of people don’t realize that our forests basically provide and assist in providing water, clean water to 60 million Americans. It can and should and ought to be an integral part of whatever climate change policies we adopt. So very important. 

I would say in response to your question a couple of things. 

First, I think it is important for us to have a very strategic plan 

as to how we are going to approach the management of our forests 

so that we can do as good a job as we possibly can preventing these 

enormous fires that have consumed so much of the budget, as you 

have alluded to. 

Second, I look forward, if I am confirmed, to working with this 

Committee and with the Congress and with the administration to 

see if there are ways in which we can do a better job of protecting 

the management budget of the Forest Service so that it can do 

what it is supposed to do, which is to manage the forests, which 

in turn will reduce the risk of the fires that we end up paying millions and millions of dollars for. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Exactly. 

Mr. VILSACK. And, finally, my hope is that we can work in partnership with local communities and to reach out to local communities to develop a better relationship so that we know what they 

are planning and doing and they know what we are planning and 

doing and so that there isn’t inconsistencies or difficulties or we 

create situations that raise the risks substantially of expensive 

fires. 

So it is a very important aspect of the Department and one that 

I am absolutely committed to working on. It is very, very important. 

37 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Well, thank you. And, again, Iowa jokes 

aside, I want to tell you how happy I am that you were nominated. 

I think I called and told you I actually had a bad dream about this, 

that we had an Agriculture Secretary nominated, Chairman, and 

I had never heard of their name. And I woke up in terror that we 

were not going to have a good nominee. And we certainly got a very 

good nominee in you, Governor, and I look forward to working with 

you. And I truly believe having—I visit all 87 counties in our State 

every year, and it takes me to a lot of rural parts of our State— 

that there is just so—there are challenges, but there is so much opportunity and optimism out there, particularly about the new 

President’s plan with energy. And I talked about biofuels today, 

but you know that extends to wind and solar and all kinds of 

things, and that the real action, if we can get the goods to market 

and the transportation system right, there is going to be a lot of 

action in our rural areas. And I look forward to you helping to lead 

that effort. 

Thank you. 

Mr. VILSACK. Thank you, Senator. 

Chairman HARKIN. Thank you very much, Senator Klobuchar. 

I just might say to my friend from Minnesota that I have often 

wondered about why Minnesotans always say that the best thing 

that comes out of Iowa is Interstate 35. Well, it finally dawned on 

me why they say that. It is because it is the main avenue of escape. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman HARKIN. For so many Minnesotans during the winter 

when they want to come to Iowa for a little warm weather. And 

we are happy to oblige. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. You mean just because it was 25 below last 

night, Mr. Chairman, that they want to go a little south? 

Chairman HARKIN. That is right. 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, now you know why I asked Senator Harkin to respond to that. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Well, yes, and he does have the gavel, so 

I will now end. Thank you. 

Chairman HARKIN. I thank you. 

Senator Cochran, thank you. You have been very, very patient, 

and I appreciate that very much. 

I say to my friend Governor Vilsack, I know you deal with all of 

the various people here and the experts here and in the House. I 

have five former Chairmen of this Committee or the House Agriculture Committee who have all the expertise here that I am very 

cognizant of, and they have a great wealth of expertise and knowledge on agriculture, and none more so than Senator Cochran from 

Mississippi. 

Senator COCHRAN. Well, Mr. Chairman, thank you for your kind 

words, and we all appreciate that we have only one Chairman at 

a time. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator COCHRAN. And we respect that, and we respect your 

leadership that you have shown as Chairman of this Committee. 

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that President-elect Obama has 

nominated a person with experience in Government and an understanding of the United States agriculture industry to be Secretary 

38 

of Agriculture. Governor Vilsack comes from a State very similar 

to my home State of Mississippi where much of the State is rural 

and agriculture is the economic base of many local communities. 

The Governor referred in his testimony to his commitment to a 

robust farm safety net and to create real and meaningful opportunities for farmers and ranchers to succeed. I applaud and appreciate this strong statement. 

During Governor Vilsack’s term as Governor, he demonstrated 

leadership and an understanding that research and advances in 

technology are critical for both America’s farmers to remain competitive and to enable them to continue to supply food and fiber to 

other countries throughout the world. 

The Department of Agriculture also has an important role in providing assistance and support for our rural communities. Of particular concern in my State is the high rates of obesity and diabetes, as well as economic disparities in these areas. The 2008 farm 

bill included a program to help address these issues, specifically in 

the Mississippi Delta. I hope this administration will support increased funding for these challenges. 

Congress will soon begin work on the reauthorization of the 

Child Nutrition Act. The agencies which administer the programs 

help educate individuals about the importance of nutrition and 

good health practices. The long-term effect will be to help create a 

new generation of healthy Americans and a significant reduction in 

health care costs. 

I understand the nominee has also been a strong supporter of 

biofuels and renewable fuels. I hope Congress and the Obama administration will work together to provide the investments needed 

to lower the costs of new fuel technologies. 

Again, Mr. Chairman, I congratulate Governor Vilsack on his 

nomination. I have a couple of questions that occurred to me, and 

I thought I would ask him. 

In the Mississippi Delta, our farm area there, we have a lot of 

fragile lands, many heavily forested. Once upon a time it was all 

huge forests, and the Mississippi River Delta was the place where 

there were abundant wildlife and fish resources. Over time, a lot 

of pressure has been put on that area of the country because of intensive farming practices over the years. We have gotten now to 

the areas of conservation incentives, trying to help restore the right 

balance between our agriculture interests and the importance of 

food production and fiber production in that area and in our conservation of fragile lands and forests, which are so important also. 

I am wondering whether you have any ideas about changes or reforms in this area. What is your attitude generally about how we 

strike this proper balance? And does the Department of Agriculture 

plan under your leadership to participate actively in these debates? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, the conservation programs that you have 

alluded to I think are extremely important for multiple reasons. 

You mentioned the importance of preserving the natural resources, 

and clearly that is a function of those programs. I think it is also 

a job creator in rural communities because the conservation programs have to be implemented in some way, and oftentimes that 

involved contractors moving dirt or taking steps to create buffer 

strips in the like in my neck of the woods, and probably in yours 

39 

as well. So there are rural jobs that are connected directly to these 

conservation efforts. 

There is also a return of wildlife which creates a whole host of 

tourism opportunities, hunting and fishing opportunities, which are 

also extremely important. And if the conservation is done properly, 

it does improve in many areas water quality. 

So there are multiple reasons why it has been important to see 

the evolution of conservation over the last 25 years in farm bills 

that have been introduced, and I think with the Conservation 

Stewardship Program, I think this Committee with the Chairman’s 

leadership has sent a very strong message that this is going to be 

a fundamental component of agriculture and needs to be recognized 

as such and needs to be treated almost as if it were a commodity, 

as an income opportunity for farmers and ranchers. 

I think there is also a tremendous opportunity as we begin the 

conversation of climate change and what the national policy will be 

in climate change, within NRCS in particular, to focus their efforts 

on mitigation and adaptation strategies and to combine that with 

research and development to try to figure out precisely what are 

the best ways to preserve the quality of our soil and water and at 

the same time increase the productivity of farmland. 

I think there are tremendous opportunities to do this and at the 

same time create carbon sinks, opportunities for offsets as you set 

up whatever system you are going to set up to deal with climate 

change. Another income opportunity, another income source. That 

is the key here, is to continue to create a series of options for farmers and ranchers, and I am committed to that. I have seen it happen in my State, and I have seen the success of it, and I have seen 

the vitality it has brought back to communities. 

And then as part and parcel of that, it is important to also not 

fail to pay attention to the communities in which these folks live 

and making sure that the infrastructure is there to support them. 

You can have great conservation, you can have great farmland; but 

if you don’t have communities that have schools and health care facilities and off-farm job opportunities, it makes it much more difficult to keep people on the farm. And then you see further consolidation of farm ownership and more difficulties for beginning farmers to get started in this business. And I am concerned about that, 

especially with the aging nature of some of our farm families. So 

there are lots of issues there. 

Senator COCHRAN. As you have prepared for your confirmation 

hearing, have you come up with any suggestions for changes in the 

farm bill that we recently passed, any improvements that need to 

be made that will be a part of your agenda as the new Secretary 

of Agriculture? 

Mr. VILSACK. Senator, I was counseled on more than one occasion 

by folks to simply indicate the necessity of implementing the farm 

program that you all passed consistent with your intent. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator COCHRAN. Well, some people are already preparing to 

suggest changes, but we worked real hard on that, and I think the 

chairman indicated what an effort it was to put together that bill. 

It seemed like the conference went on for weeks. It was probably 

days, but one of the longest, drawn-out debates and discussions of 

40 

issues facing agriculture and rural America that I had ever seen 

in my years here in the Congress. 

But the work product I think has many good things in it, and 

I hope that you will consult with the Committee, informally or in 

formal hearings, whenever you think we need to make changes. We 

should not be reluctant to consider and discuss those areas if we 

find that we have made a mistake. I don’t think we should be hesitant to try to deal with it and make improvements where improvements can be made. 

But there are some, who will use that as an opportunity to take 

out, after whipping boys—some may call it that—things that are 

criticized by some. Subsidies generally for agriculture have a bad 

connotation in the minds of many, but for others they are the only 

reason that we remain productive and competitive in the world 

economy, by participating in agriculture practices and in production agriculture. 

Mr. VILSACK. Yes, I think it is incumbent upon USDA to state 

the importance and to recognize the importance of that farm safety 

net. I think it is also important from the reputation of the Department to make sure that people who deserve to get payments and 

deserve to get support are getting that support, and that folks who 

don’t deserve to get it aren’t getting it. I think that sometimes undercuts the reputation of the Department and the reputation of the 

programs. And that is why I think it is important for us to have 

the right kind of technology that will allow us to give you the data 

and the information and the input and for us to learn from that 

data whether or not programs are working or not, whether or not 

there need to be changes or modifications. 

It is difficult for me, obviously, not having been in the office, to 

be specific about this, but if you are going to set performance measures, you have to have the capacity to get the information that allows you to determine whether a program is working. And you all 

want that, and you deserve it and the taxpayers deserve it. But it 

is difficult to do when you have got 1980’s technology. 

So that is part of responding to your call, is to make sure that 

we have the right kind of technology that gives you the information 

you need to make those decisions, and that we in turn can make 

recommendations to you about modifications or amendments if 

there need to be. 

Senator COCHRAN. When I was a candidate for Congress in 1972, 

I remember one of my advisers said, ‘‘You need to be able, at your 

news conference announcing your candidacy, to talk about the 

Rural Development Act,’’ and he recommended that I come out very 

strongly for full funding of the Rural Development Act. And I didn’t 

know what the Rural Development Act was. I was practicing law 

and did not have close touch with all the issues and legislation that 

was being passed by Congress. 

But, anyway, I took that advice and also became familiar with 

the Rural Development Act, and we are today still deriving benefits 

from that Rural Development Act that was passed back in that era. 

And I hope that if you aren’t already familiar with many of the programs and priorities that are identified for rural America in that 

act, you will become familiar like I did when I was first exposed 

to responsibilities at the Federal level. But you have a big job, and 

41 

we are looking forward to working with you and supporting your 

efforts to strengthen rural America and help keep our farm economy healthy. 

Mr. VILSACK. Thank you, Senator. 

Senator COCHRAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HARKIN. I would say to my friend from Mississippi, 

with all of the bailout money—that is a subsidy to all these bigcity banks and Wall Street. I don’t want the Wall Street Journal 

and the New York Times preaching to me anymore about the modest assistance that we provide to our farmers in America. I thank 

the Senator from Mississippi. 

Senator COCHRAN. Very good. 

Chairman HARKIN. Well, two other things here. A number of 

Senators could not be here. Senator Baucus could not be here because he has had a conflict with another Committee meeting. He 

will submit questions in writing. 

[The questions of Hon. Max Baucus can be found on page 128 in 

the appendix.] 

Chairman HARKIN. Senator Brown was unable to attend also because his mother is very ill, and Senator Stabenow is out with an 

illness and she could not be here either. 

Staff for Committee members have been informed that written 

questions are due by 4 p.m. this afternoon, so staff who are here, 

please make sure if your members have any written questions, they 

have to be in by 4 o’clock. 

The record will stay open for statements and other materials for 

the record for 5 business days. The Committee has received a number of letters and statements in support of the nomination of Governor Vilsack, and without objection, they will be made a part of 

the record. 

[The following information can be found on page 72 through 120 

in the appendix.] 

Chairman HARKIN. In closing, Governor, two topics. I want to 

cover, I was really delighted to hear one answer you just gave to 

Senator Cochran in which you talked about conservation commodities. I have a note here that in June of 2001, Governor Vilsack was 

the Chair of the National Governors Association’s Committee on 

Natural Resources. 

The Committee issued a publication, they published a publication 

called ‘‘Private Lands and Public Benefits.’’ Among the recommendations resulting from the Committee’s conference was that 

Government-supported working lands conservation programs 

should demonstrate that they produce valuable and measurable 

‘‘environmental goods or conservation commodities.’’ So you go back 

a long way on that approach, and I am delighted to hear that you 

are still thinking that way. That bodes well for agricultural producers and for conservation. 

Lastly, I will point out a program that has not gotten much publicity. It was included in the 2002 farm bill as Section 9002. I put 

it in. And it is in permanent law so it doesn’t expire with farm 

bills. It says very simply, ‘‘Every Federal department and agency 

shall‘‘—not ‘‘may’’ but ‘‘shall‘‘—‘‘give a preference to bio-based products in procurement as long as the products are reasonably equivalent in price, performance, and availability.’’ 

42 

Well, that requirement has been in the law since 2002. We have 

only had one sort of a—what would you call it? A fair or trade show 

at the Department of Defense a few years ago. We had all the different vendors come in that had products that were bio-based that 

the Department of Defense could purchase. The Deputy Secretary 

of Defense was there, plus the Secretary of Agriculture. 

My point is that I am hopeful, Governor, that when you take 

your position, you will remind all your fellow Secretaries—Transportation, Interior, Defense, Commerce, all of them—that bio-based 

procurement preference applies to them, too. It doesn’t just apply 

to the Department of Agriculture. It applies to every Federal department and agency. They shall give a procurement preference to 

bio-based products.’’ 

I intend to use this Committee and this chairmanship to call before this Committee some of your fellow Secretaries to ask them 

how they are implementing it. I think it would be safe to say that, 

with your exception, I doubt if any of them even know about this 

requirement—well, Secretary Gates knows about it because I have 

asked him about it. But the new ones coming in, I don’t know. And 

they should be apprised of this law, and I hope that I can count 

on you to get your staff to inform all departments and agencies. 

And when you meet around that cabinet table down at the White 

House, you might remind them that the law says that they shall 

give a preference to bio-based products, and they ought to be ginning up their departments to figure out how they can do so. 

At the Department of Interior, for example, all the national 

parks that they oversee, they could be buying bio-based hydraulic 

fluids, greases, oils, and items like that that are biodegradable. I 

mentioned the Department of Transportation. There are others. 

I hope to work with you on this bio-based requirement and to 

really finally bring this provision of the law into use by these various departments. 

Did you have anything else, Senator Cochran, that you wanted 

to ask? 

Senator COCHRAN. I think we have pretty well covered everything we need to discuss. Thank you. 

Chairman HARKIN. Well, thank you very much. 

Governor Vilsack, if you have anything to close on, I would be 

more than happy to recognize you for that purpose. 

Mr. VILSACK. Mr. Chairman, just simply to thank you and the 

members of the Committee for the opportunity to be here today. If 

confirmed, I will certainly make sure that my fellow Secretaries 

and administrators are aware of the bio-based purchase preference 

program that you have talked about. I would ask that you give me 

a couple of months to let them know about this before you call 

them up here, in fairness. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman HARKIN. Done. 

Mr. VILSACK. Let me just simply conclude with just a personal 

statement. I care deeply about the people who live in rural communities. I have represented them in courts of law. I have served 

them in a variety of capacities. And what I have found is that they 

genuinely believe in the promise of this country. They are extraordinarily proud of the contribution they make. In our part of the 

43 

world, they recognize the role that they play in not just feeding 

Americans but people all over the world. And they care deeply 

about the land and the water and the resources. 

If confirmed, I hope that I am a Secretary that continues to advocate on their behalf and to continue the work that I started 30– 

some years ago as a small-town lawyer. That is how I began my 

professional career, and to a certain extent, in a strange way, this 

is a continuation of that advocacy role. I take it very seriously, and 

I would appreciate the opportunity to have this privilege, and I appreciate your kindness in letting me be here and the Presidentelect’s confidence in allowing me to be here today. 

Chairman HARKIN. Well, Governor, thank you for that very profound ending statement. I cannot think of anything more to add 

than my best wishes, my congratulations, and we look forward to 

a speedy confirmation. I am sure that it will take place next Tuesday. I will be obviously polling the members of the Committee, but 

I sense that we will likely be unanimous. I congratulate you for 

that and again wish you well, and I look forward to working with 

you in the coming months and years to advance all of the causes 

and values that you just spoke about in working for people who live 

in rural America. So God bless you. Thank you very much for being 

here. Christie, wonderful to see you here. 

If there is nothing else to come before the Committee, the Committee will stand adjourned subject to the call of the Chair. 

[Whereupon, at 12:28 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

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