The National Milk Producers Federation urged the Senate Agriculture Committee to swiftly confirm former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, as NMPF, its 29 member cooperatives and numerous state dairy associations joined more than 600 other farm and agriculture groups in a letter endorsing Perdue for the position.
In backing Perdue’s nomination, NMPF told Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that the former Georgia governor’s extensive experience in public policy, business and agriculture provides him with the proper skills to be the next Agriculture Secretary. In addition to serving as governor for eight years, Perdue is the founder of three agribusiness firms and was trained as a veterinarian.
Perdue
“Gov. Perdue is a small businessman from an agricultural state, who appreciates the challenges our industry is facing, both today and in the future,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “The new secretary will have many issues on his plate of great concern to dairy farmers, such as fixing the dairy safety net program, developing export markets, updating child nutrition policies, helping ensure that we have agricultural workers, and implementing new food labeling laws. We will be working closely with him on these and other issues in the coming months.”
The letter noted that, as the former governor of a state that produces billions of dollars in food, fiber, specialty crops, nursery crops, dairy products, poultry and livestock each year, “Gov. Perdue understands the critical role of feeding our country and the world. He is also keenly aware of the importance of agriculture in powering our nation’s economy, providing jobs from farm to table.”