For that reason, it’s surprising that he would delay so long in nominating someone to head the Department of Agriculture.
In naming former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue late Wednesday evening, he chose someone with a valuable ag background. Perdue grew up on a farm and earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Georgia is not one of the top 10 ag states. The cattle industry is strong there, but it is run differently than the cattle industry of the West. Still, Perdue knows something about the topic, which is a relief.
How the Trump Administration will support or interfere with the domestic production of food and fiber is no small question. Trump has little awareness of agricultural issues and probably little interest as well. He’s a city-dweller born and bred. Until he decided to run for president, he may not have thought much about any cabinet department, but ag seems to have lagged behind them all.
He simply may not understand its importance. The USDA’s mission goes far beyond farm policy; the agency provides leadership on rural and community development, nutrition, natural resources, and the import and export of ag products, among other policy areas, all of them woven through the fabric of American life. Who, after all, doesn’t eat?
Trump also may have assumed that his support is so strong in agriculture-dominated states that his eventual nominee would have no trouble winning confirmation.
For whatever reason, the Department of Agriculture was the last cabinet position to be filled. Veterans felt similarly invisible until Jan. 11, when president-elected chose the Veterans Administration’s top health official to lead that agency. That’s also a group that deserves more attention than it has received.
The USDA has been without an official leader since Tom Vilsack left the position last week. Vilsack served throughout Barack Obama’s two terms, providing consistent leadership.
Trump has emphasized success as demonstrated by big dollars; will his policies show a similar bias toward big agricultural conglomerates, at the expense of family operations? His picks also have shown that he values political usefulness over knowledge and experience. But farmers and ranchers depend greatly on experience, and factors like drought aren’t loyal to anyone.
Now ag looks like an afterthought, a priority so low that the Trump team couldn’t be bothered with it until other, seemingly more important, positions were finalized.
This isn’t a way to build trust and confidence. It’s hardworking men and women, not billionaires, who made America great in the first place. Their profit margins often are very thin, and government decisions can make survival more difficult. Trump needs to listen to someone who understands American agriculture, or if that’s not possible, he at least needs to leave policy-making to someone who does.
Perdue may be that person, but it’s not yet time to breathe a sigh of relief. No one involved in agriculture should assume that just because Trump is a Republican, he will do a good job for the nation’s ag producers, or that he won’t interfere with cabinet members who try to do the right thing.
Speak up, and keep speaking, because what’s at stake is greater than the new president understands.
