Inside D.C.

Ag Secretary wanted — ideologues need not apply

We’ve reached the point in the pre-election period where folks turn to speculation over who will get what job in the new administration.  So far, there’s a whole lot of talk about possible Hillary Clinton nominees for agriculture secretary; not so much chatter about Donald Trump’s possible pick.

I’m hoping whomever is chosen by either candidate represents less a political payback and more a realization that championing agriculture, food production and nutrition is a critical part of the broad federal mandate.

The sitting secretary, Tom Vilsack, is a close adviser to Clinton going back to his days as governor of Iowa.  While he’s said he’s done as much as he can as ag secretary and it’s time for new vision – his name gets tossed about for White House chief of staff – he recently allowed he’s advised the campaign that Clinton should choose a governor because governor’s have administrative experience.

Granted, USDA is a monster, second only to the Defense Department/Pentagon in size, budget and number of employees.  However, administrative experience is the relatively easy part; it’s the understanding of agriculture and food production that’s critical.

Both Trump and Clinton are well advised to remember agriculture in Washington, DC, is proudly bipartisan at the 30,000-foot level.  Former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, a fierce Clinton supporter and campaign surrogate, told reporters not too long ago that Clinton should appoint a Republican to the ag secretary post as a demonstration of that bipartisanship.

For Trump the names which emerge in speculation are ambitious state ag secretaries/commissioners and highly qualified former Bush administration appointees.  For Clinton, the names include a couple of former governors who are not remotely connected to agriculture, a former Senate ag committee chair, Vilsack’s former deputy secretary and the man’s former chief of staff who now runs the California Department of Food & Agriculture.  Three of the five are women; Clinton has said at least half her cabinet will be women.

We need an agriculture secretary who sees agriculture from organic and local to mega and global, one who understands technology is vital to feeding the planet, a person who doesn’t ignore conventional ag to chase niche market ag, someone who wants to level the food access playing field, not exacerbate the rapidly widening gap between the haves and the have-nots because proper attention was not paid.

I’ll add one more qualification to the job description:  Ideologues of any political stripe need not apply.

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