01/22/09 Who will serve the new Ag Secretary?

Farm and Ranch January 22, 2009 Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was among the cabinet appointees confirmed by the Senate on the first day of the Obama administration this week. The new Secretary of Agriculture will have many positions to fill within the department and that's what Washington D.C. watcher and commentator Jim Wiesemeyer is going to be watching. Wiesemeyer: "It is going to be very interesting to see who is in those sub-cabinet posts because your listeners will know there are sometimes just as important. The Deputy Secretary is almost the glue that holds the department together. Frankly the Ag Secretary is out 60% of his time giving speeches and the Deputy Secretary is there more often. The undersecretary for marketing and regulatory practices. The Farm Service Agency administrator. I am going to look for those choices to see to what degree we could get change." As for Vilsack himself, he expressed his support for America's farmers and ranchers during his confirmation hearing earlier this month. Vilsack: "I care deeply about the people who live in rural communities. I have represented in the course 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 world they recognize the role they play in feeding not just Americans but people all over the world. And they care very deeply about the land, the water and the resources." I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.