Sonny Perdue is out. We are awaiting confirmation of Tom Vilsack and now we know who will lead the Ag Department in the meantime.
Kevin Shea has been the Administrator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for eight years, but he has been in the department, in some capacity since 1992.
He served as the Transition Director for USDA between the Obama and Trump administration. In 2017, he served as the Acting Deputy Under Secretary for marketing and regulatory programs.
A confirmation hearing has not been set for Vilsack but once he is confirmed, he says that he will ramp up USDA programs to combat climate change.
He says that agriculture is ready for this and farmers will make money from soil carbon sequestration. He says that the climate will play heavily in the 2023 Farm Bill.
President Biden says that he wants U.S. ag to be the first in the world to achieve net zero emissions of greenhouse gases.
Related:
AFBF on Vilsack nomination for Ag Secretary
National Grange on Vilsack nomination
