By
Dave Frederickson
National Farmers Union
There have been several
speculations floating around this week about who will be the next
secretary of agriculture. While it makes for great conversation, I’ve
always found that those who are talking probably don’t know,
and those who know probably aren’t talking…
As President Bush seeks to replace Secretary Veneman, I hope he will
find someone who has a connection to rural America, vast experience
within the agricultural arena and credibility among farmers, ranchers
and rural citizens. Most importantly, this individual must be someone
with the fortitude to firmly stand up for rural interests to policymakers
inside the administration and on Capitol Hill during the trying times
to come.
Undoubtedly, farm programs will be targeted to remedy the record federal
budget deficit brought about by the war and past and future tax cuts,
including the likely repeal of the federal estate tax that has an
estimated $800 billion price tag. Seeing as how the lower-hanging
fruit has already been picked, the core nutrition programs and the
agricultural safety net will certainly be considered as offsets to
out-of-control federal spending. The new secretary will have to be
strong to fight these internal battles with the administration and
Office of Management and Budget as well as congressional appropriators.
The next secretary of agriculture also will need to stand beside rural
America as it faces several serious challenges that must be addressed
such as the energy crisis, bilateral and multilateral trade agreements,
implementation of country-of-origin food labeling, re-establishing
beef trade with Japan and South Korea, reopening the Canadian border,
re-authorizing dairy programs and a permanent fix for natural disaster
aid.
On behalf of the National Farmers Union, I wish Ann Veneman well as
she moves forward into a new phase of her long and distinguished career.
Although we did not always agree with her on how best to resolve the
challenges confronting rural America, we did find her to be professional,
knowledgeable and friendly. We wish her the best and look forward
to working with her successor to improve the quality of life in rural
America.
Dave Frederickson
is the president of National Farmers Union.
