Tom Harkin: “the position of Secretary of Agriculture, in my estimation, is one of the most important, yet too often unheralded…”

“the position of Secretary of Agriculture, in my estimation, is one of the most important, yet too often unheralded, positions in the Federal Government. Good leadership by the Secretary is vitally important in my State of Iowa, where agriculture is critical to our economy and we treasure our way of life in small towns and rural communities. Yet no matter where one lives, we all depend on agriculture for food, fiber and, increasingly, for energy and other farm-based products. The day-to-day responsibilities of the Secretary of Agriculture truly touch the lives of every American as well as millions of others around the world. It is my pleasure to congratulate Governor Michael Johanns of Nebraska on his confirmation to be the next Secretary of Agriculture. I have spoken with Governor Johanns in some depth on several occasions and believe he has the qualities and potential to be a very good Secretary. I might add, his Iowa pedigree is certainly a plus. I also thank and commend Secretary Ann Veneman, as she departs, for her good work and her cooperation and communication with me, as well as the same between our staffs, over the years. As we look ahead to the next 4 years, there are many challenges and many opportunities ahead. We passed a good farm bill in 2002, President Bush praised it and signed it. For the most part it has been working, but too many of the key initiatives in that bill have suffered from misguided or delayed implementation.”