Wine Country Worries Over New Ag. Secretary

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)  -- President-elect Obama's choice of Tom Vilsack for agricultural secretary is drawing mixed reaction from parts of California's farming industry. The former Iowa governor is a strong supporter of alternative energy sources, especially bio-fuels and wind energy.
If confirmed, he would oversee school lunch programs, food safety rules, trade talks, department owned forest lands, and crop subsidies among other things.

California, which is the largest agricultural producer in the nation, will loom large in any of his policy decisions.

Leaders of Western Growers, which is a trade group of 3,000 farmers in California and Arizona, and officials with the California Farm Bureau, say they hope Vilsack does not push environmental policies at the financial detriment of the agricultural industry.

The choice is also cause for concern from some who represent the citrus and grape-growing industries.

"I'm sure he will bring in a commodity mentality, which may not be the best for California agriculture, but on the other hand, you can look at who the assistant secretaries will be, and see that perhaps California will get represented," said Nick Frey president of the Sonoma County Wine Grape Commission. He says that Vilsack's emphasis ethanol, and farmers just in the Midwest, could be bad for some parts of California's agricultural community.