Sonny Perdue looking forward to serving as U.S. agriculture secretary

Hours after President-elect Donald Trump made the nomination official, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue was already looking forward to leading the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Perdue, raised on a farm in Houston County, began his political career as a Democrat in the Georgia Legislature in the 1990s. He later switched his allegiance to the Republican Party and was elected governor in 2002. His gubernatorial victory over an incumbent Democrat completed Georgia’s shift to a solidly Republican state, ending generations of Democratic control here.

Now at age 70, Perdue embarks on another chapter in his life as a homegrown public servant.

“You know 70’s the new 40 in my book,” Perdue told The Telegraph by phone Thursday morning.

The Bonaire native is well-versed in the business of farming. In 1980, as co-owner of Houston Fertilizer and Seed, Perdue already knew well the ins and outs of soybean crops and the wheat market.

When President Jimmy Carter’s grain embargo against the then-Soviet Union dropped the price of wheat to less than $3.50 a bushel amid record harvests here, Perdue’s and companies like his bought threshed wheat from farmers and sold it to export firms for sale abroad.

His role as agriculture secretary will no doubt draw on his agribusiness acumen.

“I think it’s a very unique opportunity to have,” Perdue said, “to serve our nation … to support, I think, one of our greatest industries and most productive industries in our country, and that’s agriculture.”

Trump said in a written statement Thursday that he expects Perdue to “deliver big results for all Americans who earn their living off the land.”

Agriculture secretary was the final Cabinet nomination to be announced by Trump, who is set to take office Friday.

“From growing up on a farm to being governor of a big agriculture state,” Trump said in the statement, “(Perdue) has spent his whole life understanding and solving the challenges our farmers face.”

Confirmation hearings are already underway for some of Trump’s nominees.

Trump spoke with several potential candidates and met with Perdue in November.

The nomination ended weeks of speculation about the post.

But for Perdue, the wait was worth it.

“I find that good things come for people who wait, and the only bad part about it is I had to decline several good hunting invitations,” the former governor said.

Perdue, asked how locals might perceive his new role and perhaps take pride in having a familiar face in Trump’s Cabinet, said, “My home folks, I carry … their heart and their spirit. … There are people out there, those people I know from home, but there are millions of people like that across this land: good farm folks that are depending on good policy in agriculture that makes their livelihood more secure and America’s future more secure.”​​

Perdue graduated from Warner Robins High School and earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia.

Georgia leaders applaud nomination

Middle Georgia congressmen from both sides of the aisle, Democrat Sanford Bishop and Republican Austin Scott, said in written statements that they were pleased with the nomination.

“I have a long working relationship with (former) Gov. Perdue since our time as members of the Georgia Senate, and I am confident in his ability to lead the department,” Bishop wrote.

Scott wrote that “agriculture is Georgia’s leading industry, so we’re glad to have someone who understands our state’s agricultural needs and act as a champion for the needs of our farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”

Georgia’s senior U.S. senator, Johnny Isakson, said in a statement Thursday that the former governor is a friend, a tested leader and true visionary when it comes to public service.

“His background in public service coupled with his experience in business and agriculture make him an excellent choice to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As governor, his policies helped Georgia farmers and producers succeed and paved the way for Georgia to become a major exporter of agricultural products,” the Republican senator wrote.

Georgia Farm Bureau President Gerald Long said in a statement that Perdue will work hard to represent farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

“He has vast knowledge from serving as governor, owning and operating an agribusiness and being a veterinarian. I am confident he will bring great things to USDA,” Long wrote.

Perdue is the second Cabinet nominee from Georgia. Georgia Rep. Tom Price is Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

On Tuesday, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said that two Georgians in the Cabinet would do a lot for the state’s prestige.

“I think it just goes to show that Georgia has a lot to offer at the federal level as well as what we’re doing at the state level,” the Republican and current governor said.

Some green groups however, held their applause.

The Sierra Club, in a written statement, called on U.S. senators to oppose Perdue.

“Mr. Perdue’s record of looking after his own and denying climate science is at odds with the tremendous responsibility to all Americans that comes with leading the Department of Agriculture,” wrote Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. The statement links to a 2012 AJC article about Houston County’s Go Fish center, a program that Perdue poured millions of state dollars into, aiming to lure tourists and bass fishing tournaments to the state.

Perdue also penned a 2014 editorial in National Review in which he wrote that “liberals have lost all credibility when it comes to climate science because their arguments have become so ridiculous and so obviously disconnected from reality.”

As governor, Perdue did make moves to cut the state’s energy use, though he emphasized the economic benefits of using biofuels as much as he touted environmental benefits. A State Energy Strategy produced on his watch listed several energy “dilemmas” in the state in 2006, including volatile prices, dependence on out-of-state energy suppliers as well as “concerns about ecological impacts and the financial risk of global climate change.”

Writing for the National Resources Defense Council, Jonathan Kaplan said Perdue is not an “obvious champion” of sustainable agriculture, but that his organization looks forward to hearing more from the nominee.

“Faced with a warming planet, increasing water scarcity, collapsing bee populations and other environmental challenges, USDA needs a leader who will promote planet-friendly farming practices more than ever,” Kaplan wrote.

Agriculture secretaries are often from the Midwest, where corn and soybeans dominate the markets. U.S. farm policy has long been favorable to those crops, and congressional battles over massive farm bills every five years often divide along regional lines. Southerners have pushed for subsidy programs that are more favorable to rice and cotton, which can be more expensive to grow.

The last three agriculture secretaries were from Iowa, North Dakota and Nebraska.

Many farm-state lawmakers and agriculture groups grew concerned as Trump approached his inauguration without having named an agriculture secretary candidate. Earlier Thursday, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley tweeted that he was frustrated with the process.

“NEED Ag leader w dirt under finger nails 4farmers,” he wrote.

Perdue as Georgia’s “CEO”

Perdue showed little interest in pushing big programs or signature legislation during his two terms as governor.

Instead, he focused on finding ways to save money while improving customer service by state agencies. He often referred to himself as Georgia’s CEO.

Critics accused Perdue of failing to tackle some of Georgia’s biggest problems, such as struggling public schools.

Perdue, who was re-elected in 2006, didn’t rely only on his business acumen as governor. A devout Southern Baptist, he also found a place for faith in his administration. In 2007, when a withering drought gripped Georgia and neighboring states, he held a prayer rally in front of the state Capitol to pray for rain. In 2010, he signed a water stewardship act that included a requirement for water-saving fixtures in new buildings, among other measures.

This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Sonny Perdue looking forward to serving as U.S. agriculture secretary."