Undersecretary for Trade

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says it may take longer than required in the farm bill to review the idea of creating an Undersecretary for trade. Vilsack also weighed in at a recent Senate Ag Hearing on Trade Promotion Authority needed to speed deals through Congress without changes. Nebraska Senator and former USDA Secretary Mike Johanns told Vilsack that Vilsack could not outlast him on creating an Undersecretary for trade.

JOHANNS: There's 30 farm groups that want it to happen and it just makes sense. I look back at my time at USDA and so much of what I did was trade related.

But Vilsack told Johanns it's not that simple - involving turf battles and other issues - and a report may not be ready by the August 9th deadline.

VILSACK: Our Deputy, Darci Vetter, who has so heavily engaged in trade negotiations is now being proposed to move over the USTR. It's timely but there's a lot of moving parts and I don't want to suggest to you that my answer should indicate to you that it's not important or that I don't think it's something that we should do, I just want to make sure we do it right.

Vilsack pointed to APHIS and other agencies involved in trade that may want some role in any new trade post created. Meantime - Vilsack told Johanns he doesn't see success for pending Asian or European trade deals without fast track congressional approval - known as TPA.

That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.