U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden has announced Tom Vilsack as his intended nominee for USDA Secretary, drawing mixed responses from the farming industry.

Vilsack is not a newcomer to this position, having acted as Secretary of Agriculture for eight years under the Obama Administration. Prior to this, he served as Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007.

For some groups, this news was well-received. One such example was the United Fresh Produce Association, whose CEO Tom Stenzel released a statement saying that the association was “pleased to see Secretary Vilsack return to USDA.”

“There is no shortage of issues to work on over the next four years – from trade to climate change. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that we have experienced leaders who can hit the ground running to ensure that there is a seamless transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration,” he said.

According to Stenzel, part of this transition must involve making sure that the supply chain is utilized to address food insecurity needs being faced around the country. He said that, during his initial tenure at USDA, Vilsack worked with United Fresh on a variety of issues such as providing aid to produce farmers and the supply chain, as well ensuring that the USDA worked with other federal agencies address issues relating to trade, food safety, and immigration.

Stenzel also expressed the opinion that Vilsack’s experience with the USDA made him an adequate candidate for the job.

“There is no one more familiar with how to make USDA work for the American people than Tom Vilsack," he said.

However, there was also opposition to Vilsack’s nomination.

According to NPR news, advocates hoping for reforms with the USDA feel that Vilsack’s nomination would continue to favor the interests of large corporate farms, particularly given his current position as Chief Executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

"Vilsack has made a career of catering to the whims of corporate agriculture giants — some of whom he has gone to work for," the news outlet quoted Mitch Jones, policy director for Food and Water Watch, an environmental advocacy group, as saying.