Our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke at the annual National Ag Day banquet in the USDA Whitten Bldg. First up in his remarks was a sales pitch for moderator, The Big O, Orion Samuelson’s book, “You Can’t Dream Big Enough.” I’ll bet that didn’t hurt sales! If you like Orion’s Ole and Lena jokes then you’ll really enjoy The Big O’s book which contains many of them.

Secretary Vilsack wished everyone a Happy Ag Day and then talked about American farm productivity pointing to a chart showing how high the ag sector is compared to other industries. He also had a chart to show us how consumers benefit from farm productivity that results in low cost food. He also talked about the need for a new farm bill and the budget impact of sequestration, including furloughing food inspectors.

You can listen to or download Sec. Vilsack’s remarks here: Ag Secretary Vilsack Remarks

2013 National Ag Day Activities Photo Album