Perdue Touches on Trade Policy, Ethanol in Iowa Remarks

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue’s speech was not the “first major farm policy address” of his tenure leading USDA, as he spoke mostly “from the heart” and not from the 17 pages he said some staff had written for him.Perdue Confirmed his and the Trump administration’s support for ethanol and its production. “You have nothing to worry about” regarding the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and President Donald Trump’s commitment to support the industry,” Perdue said. “Did you hear what he said during the campaign? Renewable energy, ethanol, is here to stay, and we’re going to work for new technologies to be more efficient,” Perdue said, later sporting a “Don’t Mess with the RFS” pin. Nevada, Iowa, is home to an ethanol production plant run by Lincolnway Energy and a cellulosic ethanol production plant run by DuPont. Perdue lauded the state's ethanol industry and technological advancements in renewable energy, like wind and solar.Perdue listed trade, support for farm labor and working as the nation’s chief agriculture salesman as his priorities. “I’m going to be the unapologetic chief advocate, chief salesman for American agriculture products around the world,” he said. "You grow ’em, we’re going to sell ’em."Between NAFTA, expected USDA budget cuts, the construction of a new farm bill, and naming new subcabinet members, Perdue added that he is focused on the building blocks of a better USDA. “We want facts-based, data-driven, customer-focused, ethics, transparency, and integrity in this agency. I’m focused on making the USDA the best managed and most effective agency for the American taxpayer in all of the U.S. government,” Perdue said.Perdue said, “President Trump wanted me out here to let you all know that he understands American agriculture and that it is vital to the U.S. economy. And he understands that Iowa is vital to US agriculture.” He added that, “As farmers, we need to be better communicators, but farmers are definitely part of our national security.” He stressed that no longer can farmers just be good producers; they have to tell the nation that the food is safe and their animals are treated well. “We’re going to make sound science, fact-based, data-driven decisions. Because that is what works in agriculture,” said Perdue. "At the same time, we should be unapologetic in agriculture.”