New Faces New Priorities at USDA

As the Obama Administration begins to fill out the ranks of the top political appointees at USDA a picture is emerging that this won't be a USDA populated by your typical representatives of commercial agriculture. 

The Administration sharply limited the pool of likely candidates for senior appointments with the directive excluding from consideration anyone that has lobbied USDA in the past.  This has probably helped to ensure that more appointees have a non-Washington background, for better or for worse.  Sprinkled through the appointments are those with a background in organic/sustainable agriculture and a higher than usual number of former campaign staffers.

The new appointees seem to be smart, but with little direct experience in the areas now under their purview.  A good example is Rajiv Shah, the nominee as USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics.  Shah had previously served as executive director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation whose fundamental purpose is addressing world hunger issues.  Shah is seen as a bright, very high quality individual, but whether he is really the right fit for such a position is an open question.  The unconventional background of several new appointees creates a situation where key policy decisions may soon be decided in somewhat of a vacuum with commercial agriculture having decidedly less influence.

Commercial agriculture, to the extent it is represented in the upper levels of USDA, is more the Farmers Union version of commercial agriculture.  A classic example here is Jim Miller the new Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services.  Miller most recently served as chief of staff to the National Farmers Union.  His background also includes stints as a Capitol Hill staffer and as a lobbyist for the National Association of Wheat Growers.  Miller was first introduced to Washington, DC, during his service as the elected President of the Wheat Growers in the mid-1990s.  At that time he owned and operated a family wheat farm in Washington State.

The new Secretary, Tom Vilsack, seems to be drawing good marks.  The liberal wing of the Democratic party was initially skeptical of Vilsack with his background as the Governor of a major agricultural state, Iowa, and a strong proponent of biofuels.  Since his appointment, though, Vilsack has stressed an agenda more focused on food and nutrition issues, as well as world hunger.  As a former Governor, Vilsack is well-spoken and follows the pattern of former Secretaries Ed Schafer and Mike Johannes.

The emerging go-to person at USDA for traditional agriculture appears to be David Lazarus who serves as a top advisor to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack.

Administration watching is a favorite topic for many.  The Obama Administration is setting a decidedly different tone for USDA, although this is still in the very early stages of the Administration.  Stay tuned.