USDA colleagues,

Here in what seems like a blink of an eye, Autumn arrived catapulting us into a flurry of activities. The air is becoming cooler, the days are getting shorter, in some parts of the country the leaves are turning red and yellow. The corn and soy harvests are well underway, and at USDA the statisticians are hard at work on compiling the data we will use over the next few months to assess the health and strength of U.S. agriculture and our food supply.

Fall is often the time we begin to reflect on the past year and see the results. As we finalize investments for this fiscal year, write up our accomplishment statements, and provide feedback to both our peers and our leaders, it is also the time I begin to look ahead – to lay out a vision for how we are going to address some of the biggest challenges facing agriculture today.

The global pandemic exposed a food system that was rigid, consolidated, and fragile. At the height of the pandemic, farmers and ranchers faced unprecedented supply and demand shocks, with shutdowns, slowdowns, and uncertainty leading to shortages in some goods and surpluses in others. We still see the symptoms 18 months later as empty container ships leave our ports while many school districts across America face shortages in the food and supplies they need to provide kids with quality meals.  

Meanwhile, we are all grappling with heightened and intensifying extreme weather events due to climate change, with farmers and ranchers facing the brunt of the impacts. Due to drought, livestock producers cannot grow or afford the feed they need. Due to severe storms and rain, farmers in the South and Northeast look to recover from significant damage to crops, livestock and farm buildings.

I know you are working hard amid these challenges.  I see your commitment to advance the priorities of food security and healthy diets for all, address climate change mitigation and adaptation, and develop plans for more inclusive and equitable food systems.

It is through our collective actions and by working together that we demonstrate to the American people that we can build back better in the face of the climate crisis and economic disruptions from COVID-19.

This week, as a whole-of-Department effort, we advanced significant measures to take these challenges head on:

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and Agricultural Marketing Service are going the extra mile to enhance the toolbox for school nutrition professionals working hard to make sure students have access to school meals.
• USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is working around the clock to contain the African Swine Fever and prevent it from reaching our shores, protecting jobs, the economy and the hog industry.
• USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service continues to make meaningful investments in conservation priorities that focus on climate-smart agriculture and forestry, with a new announcement this week on a nearly $75 million in 15 partner-led projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program’s (RCPP) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA).
• USDA’s Agricultural Research Service is hard at work establishing a comprehensive climate change “Center of Excellence” that will create a research pipeline for climate-smart technologies and ensure we are adopting the best and most current technologies.
• This month, USDA joined the government-wide Sustainable Aviation Fuels Grand Challenge with a target of making a 100 percent drop in sustainable aviation biofuel by 2050 as we focus on feedstock development and supply chain efficiencies.
• Rural Development is prioritizing climate-smart infrastructure while expanding economic development, most recently with an investment of $464 million to build or improve renewable infrastructure in 48 states and Puerto Rico.

We are not short on once-in-a-lifetime challenges, and the tasks ahead of us are extraordinary. These examples only begin to touch on the wide scope and flurry of activities at USDA that ensure we meet the challenges of the moment with opportunity.

Together we can lead the way with investments in science and research and climate smart solutions that will reduce greenhouse gases and put producers and rural communities front and center in creating new market opportunities while tackling the climate crisis.

Together we can address the vulnerabilities in our food system and build back better by creating more better and fairer markets for producers and consumers alike.

Together we can make sure that Americans have consistent access to safe, healthy, affordable food – in our school lunchrooms and beyond.

And together we can commit to the values of equity and inclusion rooted in all that we do.

Of significance, we recently published a Federal Register Notice announcing the creation of the Equity Commission and requesting nominations for membership on the Committee and the Subcommittee on Agriculture. This is an important step in our work together to reduce disparities and improve support to underserved communities, especially with regard to access and inclusion in USDA agricultural programs and services.

Ultimately, we have a shared responsibility for the future of the United States – to ensure our agricultural systems provide for the American consumer and billions more around the world, to care for the land, water and air that serve us so well, to build up and invigorate our rural communities, and to care for each other.   

As we move out of the summer into fall, and into a new fiscal year, I thank you for your service and I look forward to working with you and our stakeholders towards a better future.

Sincerely,

Tom Vilsack