Although I have not been wild about most of Obama's other picks for Cabinet positions, I am remaining hopeful about his pick to head the Department of Agriculture. The USDA is a behemoth organization that controls nearly all things food, agriculture, and forest related in this country (with strange exceptions like the FDA oversees eggs and food safety). Go to Food Democracy Now to add your vote to the tens of thousands that are asking for a progressive leader to head this agency.
These are the sustainable ag leaders that have been thoroughly vetted and are willing to take the job of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture:
- Gus Schumacher, Former Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Former Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture.
- Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director, Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, NE.
- Sarah Vogel, former two-term Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of North Dakota, attorney, Bismarck, ND.
- Fred Kirschenmann, organic farmer, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, IA and President, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY.
- Mark Ritchie, current Minnesota Secretary of State, former policy analyst in Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture under Governor Rudy Perpich, co-founder of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
- Neil Hamilton, attorney, Dwight D. Opperman Chair of Law and Professor of Law and Director, Agricultural Law Center, Drake University, Des Moines, IA.
Again, sign the petition today! http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/
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