A new administration brings with it new bureaucrats to run the various executive agencies. With President Biden’s picks however, some familiar faces have come back from the Obama years. One of those people being former President Obama’s USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack turned USDA Secretary yet again under President Biden.
A pick that has garnered much concern throughout much of the farming community. And as Democrats have struggled to win voters in rural America, there are many eyes watching Mr. Vilsack take up the reigns of his former position.
Under the Biden Administration, Vilsack has been charged with many more responsibilities.
He faces particular backlash from small farmers, who have in the past, found him to be far too friendly with big industrial agriculture operations. And in times like these especially, small farmers are frightened more than ever.
Smaller farm operations have been hit the hardest these last few years – with record farm bankruptcies despite record amounts of federal assistance. Family owned dairy operations in particular being one of the most devastated areas – where in Wisconsin alone, half of all herds have disappeared over the last 15 years.
In contrast to this, yet for the same reasoning, Vislack also faces deep scrutiny from progressive environmental groups, which are promised to be a main concern of the new administration.
Even members of the Democratic party fear that Mr. Vislack does not send the right message, and will not help the Democrats further appeal to rural America – a long sought demographic. Environment and agricultural policy groups both fear him as being to aligned with “Big Ag” interests, and not with their own.
One of the things pointed to the most, was the merger of Monsanto and Bayer, which occurred under his watch.
Even the Food Safety and labor advocate groups seem to be at odds with him, as they have already criticized his past decisions to allow increased slaughter line speeds and putting inspection processes under the supervision of the packers rather than government inspectors.
“If past is prologue, we have strong concerns that he will continue to do the bidding of industry,” said Zach Corrigan, a senior staff lawyer at Food & Water Watch, a consumer and environmental watchdog group.
Though, it is important to note, that many farm groups, such as the National farmers Union, and Feeding America have expressed support for him.
Though, again, many more farmers caution that under the Biden administration, he will bring more onerous regulations to fruition.
“Probably more rules instead of less rules,” said John Heisdorffer Jr., an Iowa soybean farmer and former president of the American Soybean Association. “In the farming community, it seems like we get ruled to death.”
And he also faced significant backlash in the past from Black farmers, who have complained of discrimination in regard to land and credit access.
This will also be a particular issue of focus for the new administration, as President Biden has promised to put the US on a path towards what he deems racial justice and wealth equity – though time will only tell what that really means.
“USDA has historically not demonstrated a commitment to racial justice, and we particularly see the track record of Vilsack in the past,” said Dara Cooper, co-founder of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance.
The pandemic has especially brought much of the agricultural meat packing community to drastic points, with many plants on the verge of total shut down – promoting the previous Trump administration to issue executive orders demanding many packers stay open to help feed the nation.
“Because of the experience of the pandemic, there are different expectations for the secretary of agriculture than there were during Tom Vilsack’s prior service,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents poultry workers at plants across the South. “There must be heightened priority given to the safety and needs of the workers who produce our food supply as well as all to those Americans who face food insecurity.”
Prior to Mr Vilsack coming back into the spot light as the possible USDA secretary again, he was previously lobbying for the Dairy industry as part of the US Dairy Export Council.
At the very least, Vislack is expected to be a sharp change from former Secretary Perdue – who had received much praise and support from small farmers particularly. Though, again, time will tell how this turns out.
