08/07/06 Knight confimred as undersecretary

American Rancher August 7, 2006 The U.S. Senate last week confirmed the nomination of three officials for top USDA posts. One of them was Bruce Knight as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs. Previously Knight headed USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. In his new position Knight will be dealing with the National Animal Livestock Identification System. This is what Knight told the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee about the importance of animal ID during his confirmation hearing. Knight: "It certainly will be one of the highest priorities on my desk if confirmed. There is room for improvement in making this touchable, tangible, and understandable for farmers and ranchers." Knight said the key to any national animal identification system is simplicity. Knight: "We need a voluntary program that is very easy to understand and a program that is very apparent to the producer as why it is important to themselves and the industry as a whole." Knight said whether the issue is NAIS, avian influenza or BSE, a balanced approach is needed to address all issues. One of the other people confirmed by the Senate was Nancy Montanez Johner as under secretary for Food and Nutrition Consumer Services. She has been the director of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Bob Hoff.