Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsackis an American politician who has served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture since 2009. A member of the Iowa Democratic Party, Vilsack served as the 40th Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth13 December 1950
CityPittsburgh, PA
CountryUnited States of America
friends moving issues
My friends, history, history calls us to this time and to this place. A solemn choice rests with us - where do we go from here? Do we move slowly and incrementally? Or do we seize the challenge of our time and tackle the great issues of our day.
hands risk three
Somewhere between 50 to 60 percent of the food you eat has been touched by immigrant hands, and it is fair to say some of them are not here as they should be here. But if you didn't have these folks, you would be spending a lot more - three, four or five times more - for food, or we would have to import food and have all the food security risks.
years agriculture income
This is an exciting time for farmers and ranchers of all types and sizes as agriculture is a bright spot in the American economy. In 2011, agricultural exports hit a record high and producers saw their best incomes in nearly 40 years.
growing-up military believe
People don't understand rural America. Sixteen percent of our population is rural, but 40 percent of our military is rural. I don't believe that's because of a lack of opportunity in rural America. I believe that's because if you grow up in rural America, you know you can't just keep taking from the land. You've got to give something back.
past years united-states
In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only nine percent of family farm income comes from farming, and more and more of our farmers are looking elsewhere for their primary source of income.
obesity-epidemic childhood risk
The rise of childhood obesity has placed the health of an entire generation at risk.
jobs shapes way
One out of every 12 jobs in the economy is connected in some way, shape or form to what happens on the farm.