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Nebraska Farmers Union president on Perdue nomination

Sonny Perdue

The president of Nebraska Farmers Union, John Hansen, says it will be different having a Southerner—former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue—leading the USDA.

Hansen points out that Perdue will be the first Agriculture Secretary from the South since Mike Espy in the early 1990’s.

“There definitely is a different set of interests and perspective between the Southern agricultural states and the Midwestern states,” Hansen says. “He’s going to be a lot more familiar with Southern crop issues. So it all remains to be seen where he comes down on the farm income safety net, where he comes down on renewable fuels, and those kinds of issues.”

Hansen hopes Perdue will support and enforce the GIPSA livestock rules brought forth by the Obama administration.

“We’ve got a final rule and two interim rules in the mix now that are important parts of agricultural marketplace reforms—so we’ll see how he thinks about those.”

Hansen says he would also like Perdue to continue the efforts of his predecessor, Tom Vilsack, in promoting conservation and rural development.

AUDIO: John Hansen

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