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Vilsack says Perdue has ‘stop gap’ authority to ease trade dispute impact

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Tom Vilsack (file photo)

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack says the current U.S. Ag Secretary has authority to provide some short term financial support to farmers that Vilsack did not have during his eight years as the nation’s secretary of agriculture.

If the trade dispute with China escalates, Vilsack says Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has “unfettered access” to Commodity Credit Corporation resources “which can be used in a very thoughtful and strategic way to provide some direct assistance for a period of time.

“The reality is it’s a stop-gap measure. It’s not something you can necessarily do that is permanent and, frankly, most of the farmers I talk to would prefer not to have a support structure and system. They would prefer to have a free and open market opportunity.”

Vilsack is president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and he’s been to China twice this year. Vilsack says the Chinese are “not fearful” about a trade war, although they hope to avoid it. And Vilsack says officials in other world capitals believe a trade war would put a damper on the world economy, which appears to be perking up a little bit.

“No question China has not played by the rules,” Vilsack says “The question is how we go about making sure that they change and I think one of the things the administration is now trying to do, that I think is a good thing, is that they’re trying to get allies in this effort.”

There are plenty of companies and farmers in other countries that have been damaged by China’s conduct, according to Vilsack.

“There’s no question that China has basically gamed the system, certainly as it relates to intellectual property,” Vilsack says. “But there are ways in which we could solicit the help of the E.U., Japan and others to put pressure on China to basically change their ways without damaging agriculture.”

Vilsack made his comments this weekend during an appearance on Iowa Public Television’s “Market to Market” program.

Vilsacks to be on ‘Radiothon’ to raise $1 million for Iowa Wesleyan

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Tom Vilsack

Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor who served eight years as the nation’s secretary of agriculture, is back in Mount Pleasant with his wife, Christie, this weekend and they have a big goal: raise one million dollars for Iowa Wesleyan University.

They plan to do it in just 40 hours.

“I’ve had a chance to visit many, many places around the country and around the world and one of the things that I think distinguishes a place from any other place is the ability to have access to higher education,” Vilsack said.

“That’s one of the blessings we have here in southeast Iowa is that we’ve got Iowa Wesleyan University which provides a four-year college degree to young people at an affordable cost, which is important, but also provides an opportunity for life-long learning.”

The Vilsacks have partnered with KILJ Radio in Mount Pleasant for a “Retro Radiothon.” Forty years ago, Vilsack led a similar event on the same station and raised more than $200,000 for a new athletic complex in Mount Pleasant.

“So I think we can do it again,” Vilsack said. “And I think now is an opportunity for us to celebrate the importance of Iowa Wesleyan University, but also use it as an opportunity to educate people about the tremendous impact that the university has on this community, a $55 million economic impact, changing the lives of people.”

Astronaut Peggy Whitson and space scientist James Van Allen are among Iowa Wesleyan’s most famous graduates. Vilsack said the University of Maryland’s current president attended Wesleyan as a 15-year-old from South America who was just learning to speak English.

“I’m here because I really believe in the mission of Iowa Wesleyan,” Vilsack said. “I’m here also because I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the people of Mount Pleasant, specifically, and Henry County and the people of southeast Iowa who gave me an opportunity to serve as a mayor and a state senator.”

Without having those experiences, Vilsack has often said he wouldn’t have had the opportunities to serve as Iowa’s governor and the U.S. secretary of agriculture.

“My father-in-law, Tom Bell, is graduate of Wesleyan and he always felt very, very strongly about then college and now the university,” Vilsack said, “and I think this is a way of making sure we keep faith with our family traditions as well.”

Christie Bell grew up in Mount Pleasant. After she and Tom Vilsack married, the couple moved to her hometown and Christie Vilsack’s father and husband became law partners.

The “Radiothon” for Iowa Wesleyan begins at 7 p.m. tonight. Iowa Wesleyan was founded in 1842. It is one of the oldest colleges west of the Mississippi.

(Reporting by Theresa Rose, KILJ, Mount Pleasant; additional reporting and editing by Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson)

 

Vilsack, other ex-USDA chiefs appear at World Food Prize events

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Five former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture helped kick off this week’s World Food Prize events in Des Moines. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack spent eight years as President Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack said it’s important to say to the rest of the country agriculture is the “most significant industry” in the U.S.

“You’re talking about 23 million people who are employed by the food and agriculture industry,” Vilsack said. “…You’re not just dealing with a small segment of society here. You’re dealing with something that impacts everyone every single day.”

Dan Glickman, a former Kansas congressman, served as U.S. Ag Secretary in President Bill Clinton’s administration. He said farmers must do better at explaining the benefits of genetically-modified crops to more vocal consumers.

“People who do want to know what’s in their food, how it’s produced, where it’s produced, whether it’s safe, who grew it and all those kind of things,” Glickman said. “And that power of the consumers is going to impact a lot more players in agriculture. Farmers and ranchers have to be a big part of it.”

Mike Johanns, a former Nebraska governor and U.S. Senator, served as Ag Secretary during George W. Bush’s administration. He said some of the answers to the debate about water quality will come with advances in technology and equipment.

“Twenty years from now or even 10 years from now we’ll look back and we’ll look at our agricultural practices today and we’ll ask ourselves: ‘Why did we do that?'” Johanns said. “You see the sprayers out in the field. You see the airplaces and all of a sudden they’re dropping whatever they’re dropping onto the fields. I think we are working our way to a day where science is going to help us solve these problems.”

Johanns and Glickman made their comments during taping of an “Iowa Press” program that will air October 27 on Iowa Public Television.

(Reporting by Brownfield’s Mark Dorencamp; additional reporting by Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson)

Dairy Export Council to change marketing strategy

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USDEC CEO Tom Vilsack and Dairy Management Inc CEO Tom Gallagher at 2017 World Dairy Expo.

The leader of the U.S. Dairy Export Council says he’s making changes to the organization’s marketing strategy.

CEO Tom Vilsack says he’d like to increase export sales by 5 percent, bringing the total to 20 percent of U.S. dairy production.

To do that requires us to have more presence in some of these emerging markets, more people on the ground figuring out what the market needs, what the market wants, figuring out ways in which we can innovate appropriately to meet that market demand,” Vilsack said.

Although the boost in manpower in developing markets will cost money, Vilsack is promising producers they won’t see changes in the dairy checkoff program. “This is not about increasing the checkoff. This is about using the resources that are available from the checkoff in the most efficient and effective way possible,” Vilsack said. “And, certainly within our own USDEC budget, we are re-prioritizing to be able to put more resources, for example, into that Mexican market which is so important.”

The 66-year-old Vilsack added along with cutting ineffective marketing programs, the council will examine revenue streams. “We also have dues-paying members, 120 members or so of our organization. There hasn’t been a dues increase for at least 10 years, so there’s a possibility that we would look at our dues structure. That’s a small percentage of our budget, but an important part of it,” Vilsack said. “And, we obviously want to make a case to the U.S. Government to continue to fund and maybe even increase the MAP (Market Access Program) funding, the foreign market development funding (and) the market assistance programs.”

Vilsack served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for eight years before starting his new job with the U.S. Dairy Export Council in February. Vilsack was Iowa’s governor from 1999 to 2007. He made his comments in an interview with Brownfield Ag News at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Iowa typically ranks among the top 15 states in terms of annual dairy production.

(Thanks to Larry Lee, Brownfield Ag News)

 

Democrat John Norris kicks off campaign for governor (AUDIO)

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John Norris

John Norris, a long-time mechanic for Democratic campaigns in Iowa, formally kicked off his campaign for governor this weekend.

“This is about our future,” Norris said early this evening. “We’re taking this government back from those who want a government that works for only a few people at the top, the special interests and the sweetheart deals and making it a government that works for the people.”

Norris held an event Saturday evening on the farm near Red Oak where he grew up, then about 200 supporters gathered for a potluck picnic at Living History Farms late this afternoon. Norris spoke for about 25 minutes, outling his priorities. He supports limits on campaign donations, greater spending on public schools and a focus on economic develpment incentives that benefit all businesses rather than big tax breaks for just a few.

“Our politics are incredibly toxic, the government we have is sick and our future is seriously eroding and that’s why I’ve chosen here today amongst all of you to announce my candidacy,” Norris said, to applause and cheers.

Norris vowed to reverse former Governor Terry Branstad’s decision to “privatize” Medicaid and he pledged to address water quality concerns, calling clean water a “birthright” for Iowans.

“How can we expect the children of Iowa to want to stay in Iowa when you can’t drink the water and you can’t swim in the rivers and the lakes?” Norris asked, to applause. “We have to insist that those who are treating our water and our natural resources irresponsibly are stopped.”

Norris ran the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition in the 1980s and opened a restaurant in Greenfield. He argued it’s time to “reconnect” urban and rural Iowa and Norris says it’s time to ensure rural schools are “exceptional” and broadband access is universal.

“I think we have opportunities there, but it takes a governor and a government that knows they exist, first of all, enough to recognize the opportunities and the incredible quality of life for people who want to live in rural Iowa,” Norris said, “and I think more people want to.”

AUDIO of Sunday event, 55:00

Norris ran Jesse Jackson’s fourth-place Iowa Caucus campaign in 1988 and John Kerry’s successful campaign here in 2004. Norris also helped steer Tom Vilsack’s successful campaign for governor in 1998. Norris served in three different roles in the Obama Administration, first as a top aide to Vilsack in the USDA, then as a federal utility regulator and finally as head of the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service, based in Rome.

More than a handful of other Democrats are either running or mulling a run for their party’s next nomination for governor.

Former Governor Vilsack’s granddaughter has died

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Tom Vilsack (file photo)

Sad news in the Vilsack family. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack’s granddaughter has died.

A spokesman for the family confirmed six-year-old Ella Vilsack died last night after a sudden illness. She is the daughter of Jess and Kate Vilsack. Jess Vilsack is an attorney in Des Moines who is the oldest son of Tom and Christie Vilsack.

News of the girl’s death has spread through the Vilsack’s hometown of Mount Pleasant and among the family’s friends and colleagues in Iowa and throughout the country.

(The initial version of this story included a reference to a cause of death that was incorrect. We deeply regret the error.)

 

 

New U.S. Ag Secretary to make first policy speech in Iowa

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Sonny Perdue

The new U.S. Agriculture Secretary is going to visit here Friday.

Former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue was sworn in last week as the new U.S. Ag Secretary and now has announced he will make his first major farm policy speech at an ag business near the central Iowa town of Nevada.

Perdue plans to tour the Couser Cattle Company and host a farmer’s town hall meeting. Couser is a diverse company that raises cattle, crops. Perdue replaces former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack who served as U.S. Ag Secretary for eight years under president Obama. There’s speculation an Iowa could join Perdue’s department.

Current Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey was asked about it last week and said he would seriously consider a position at U.S. Ag if it were offered.

Perdue will give his speech Friday at 10 a.m., and then will host the town hall meeting.

Photo courtesy of the U.S.D.A.

 

Vilsack says UI, ISU, UNI are ‘good,’ but could be ‘great’

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Tom Vilsack (file photo)

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack today said it’s time to move the three state universities “to the next level.” Vilsack was asked during a taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program if he’d be interested in becoming the next president of Iowa State University.

“I don’t have a pilot’s license,” Vilsack replied. The show’s host laughed. One reporter said: ‘Oh, my.” The other reporter on the program said: “Touche.”

Vilsack was referring to outgoing Iowa State president Steven Leath’s piloting of a university-owned plane and subsequent questions about a “hard landing” that caused damage.

Vilsack just completed eight years as President Obama’s ag secretary and he’s currently leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council, but in December, Vilsack said he was interested in working with students. Today, Vilsack suggested that is not the role of a university president these days.

“You can be the president of a university, but what exactly are you doing? Well, it’s sort of like running for president,” Vilsack said. “Half the time you’re raising money and the other half of your time you’re in meetings and so forth and you’re directing a very large organization.”

Vilsack did offer advice to the future president of ISU and the people in charge of all three public universities.

“I have had the chance and privilege of going to a lot of universities in my prior position. I think we too often in this state are satisfied with good, but not great,” Vilsack said. “I think our universities are good, but I think they could be great.”

If the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa could get to that “next level,” Vilsack said the universities could be “incredible drivers” of creativity, innovation, new economic opportunities and excitement about the entire state of Iowa.

“When the football season begins at the University of Iowa or Iowa State, do we think our teams will compete for the national championship or are we just satisfied if they get to a bowl game? I’ll tell you, you go to Ohio State, you go to Michigan — it’s not about competing in a bowl game in January. It’s about winning a national championship and I think that’s an attitude we need to develop more of in this state,” Vilsack said.

“We are humble. We are aw-shucks kind of folks. We don’t want a lot of attention, but the reality in this world if you want to attract bright young people, you want to retain your bright young people — you’ve got to give them a sense that you are committed to being great.”

Vilsack served two terms as Iowa’s governor and left state office in January of 2007. Vilsack today said you “never say never” in politics, but he says it’s doubtful he’ll ever be a candidate for public office again.

Iowa Public Television will broadcast Vilsack’s interview next Friday evening.

Bill reduces time frame for lawsuits over shoddy construction

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The State Capitol.

The Iowa legislature has voted to narrow the window for Iowans to file lawsuits about construction complaints.

Under current law, Iowans have 15 years to take legal action after discovering construction defects in their home or business. The bill that has cleared both the House and Senate would give homeowners a decade to file a lawsuit over serious flaws in construction.

Commercial property owners would have an 8-year window for these kind of lawsuits that aren’t about injuries to people, but alleged faults in the construction.

Representative Kevin Koester, a Republican from Ankeny, says Iowa is out of step with every other state and contractors here have to pay more for insurance.

“This bill is good for our state,” Koester says. “It will reduce costs. Over time that’ll have a calming effect also on premiums. Over time, there will be lower cost, actually, of that kind of insurance.”

The bill also aligns with the GOP’s pledge to reduce regulations, according to Koester.

“Protection and regulation come with a cost,” Koester says. “Homebuilders inform us that 25 percent of the cost of new home construction is strictly from the cost of regulation on building that home.”

Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says the bill helps negligent contractors who do things like use shoddy materials.

“Taking away protections from everyday Iowans who are just trying to buy a house that will last them the rest of their lives,” Wolfe says.

Representative Brian Meyer, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the narrower time frame for lawsuits about construction faults may prevent homeowners from getting compensated for defects like black mold that often appear long after construction.

“Your average, every day person is getting completely rolled on this,” Meyer says.

The bill advanced out of the Iowa Senate with the votes of all the Republicans and a couple of Democrats. It was a party-line vote when the bill cleared the House earlier this week. It’s now headed to Governor Branstad for his consideration.

Former Republican Governor Robert Ray vetoed similar legislation in 1980 and former Democratic Governor Tom Vilsack rejected a bill like this in 2001.

Vilsack says, in new post, it’ll be ‘very easy’ to sell U.S. dairy products

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Tom Vilsack (USDA photo)

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has confirmed he is the next leader of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

“It’s very easy to sell and to advocate on behalf of the dairy producers and the processors and companies of this country because we have a great product. We have a safe product. We have a nutritious product,” Vilsack said during an interview with Brownfield’s Larry Lee. “We’ve got a high quality product that we can sell around the world.”

Vilsack resigned as U.S. Ag Secretary on Friday after nearly eight years in the post. He will begin this new job February 1.

“Probably more than any other aspect of agriculture, these dairy producers are working 365 days a year, 24/7,” Vilsack said. “I know they’re hard working. They care deeply about the industry and their families and their farms, so I’m excited about this opportunity.”

Fifteen percent of U.S. dairy products are currently exported.

“That has helped to stabilize prices,” Vilsack said. “It’s helped to create a better opportunity long term and as we increase the number, increase the market share — it increases the opportunity to take the efficiencies and productivity of American producers and make sure it doesn’t necessarily become a drag on prices.”

The nonprofit group Vilsack will lead seeks to drive demand for U.S. dairy products. Agri-Pulse had reported earlier this month that Vilsack would take the job. He replaces Tom Suber, who recently retired after 22 years as president of USDEC.

“Growing the global market for U.S. dairy products is essential to the future of the dairy industry and America’s dairy farmers,” Vilsack said in a statement from the group.

(Additional reporting by Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis and Brownfield’s  Larry Lee)