10/03/07 Mike Johanns' resignation

Another era has ended in the United States Department of Agriculture. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back after this to tell you about it. By now most of you in production agriculture have heard Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, has submitted his letter of resignation to President Bush. Mr. Johanns was appointed to the job about three years ago and I remember his first priority was reopening the U.S. beef export market to Japan. Well, some beef has been exported there, but not nearly the amount shipped prior to the December 2003 Japanese ban. I think a little more attention to inspecting beef shipments to other Asian countries under the Johanns' administration would have paid big dividends by assuring only the right beef products were exported. All we have now is an on again, off again market to those countries. Now Johanns is leaving without the farm bill being finalized and a U.S. market reopened to Canadian cattle thirty months of age or olderthe very class of cattle that caused the Japanese ban to U.S. beef. While I have been critical of Mike Johanns' position on issues, I have to commend him for his time commitment serving our country in a leadership role. I know it can be a thankless job at times, but I'm sure he knew that fact coming in as a former governor of Nebraska. Mr. Johanns' newest ambition is to be elected to the U.S. Senate representing Nebraska. Now that's out of the frying pan and into the fire. I'm Jeff Keane.