As Tom Vilsack makes his return as USDA secretary after his confirmation, one of the top issues on his agenda following COVID-19 response will be addressing climate change and agriculture’s role.
Former Secretary Dan Glickman, the man who served in the same capacity under President Bill Clinton, told the AgriTalk Radio Show that having Vilsack back at USDA will be an advantage for agriculture amid the climate debate.
“Fortunately, we’re going to have a secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsack, who’s got a lot of experience in not only climate issues, but also farm issues, crop issues, livestock issues, and so I think he’s going to be a steadying force to encourage agriculture’s involvement in climate reduction, but at the same time, and try to ensure that it’s done with good judgment,” Glickman told AgriTalk’s Chip Flory. “One thing I do know is President Biden has a very close personal relationship with Secretary Vilsack, and I think that’s going to help.”
Glickman expects the Biden administration to push aggressively on climate legislation, with both incentives for carbon sequestration practices and new regulation on farming practices that impact the environment, but he sees Congress as a moderating force on that regulatory push.
“I think Congress is going to look at ways that farmers can get an economic benefit out of let’s say, carbon sequestration, carbon sinking, and a lot of other conservation measures,” he said. “In addition to the normal farm programs which we’ve had and which Congress comes up with during every farm bill, I do think that you’re going to see climate reduction, particularly as it’s in the soil health area and in air quality areas come to the forefront and be a higher priority, and not just in USDA, but in a lot of other agencies as well.”
And that’s where Glickman sees Vilsack’s strength in agriculture, knowledge of rural America and relationship with President Biden to be key.
“The big thing is to make sure that USDA is takes an assertive role. A lot of things are going to need to be done, but you need to have people involved in agriculture who are at the table helping to make these [decisions],” Glickman said.
