Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or simply RFK Jr. suggests he could save American agriculture if Donald Trump wins the November election.
The erstwhile presidential candidate is now backing Trump with expectations that he would win a slot, probably as Ag secretary.
His first shot is at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which he will rid off “corporate interests,” reports AP News.
According to him, 70% of American nutrition is now coming from ultra-processed sources, vowing he will alter this trend.
On October 14, 2024, Kennedy took a video near Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., where he promised to “roar back” agriculture and health.
As an ecologist and anti-vaccine supporter, RFK Jr. has cultivated strong links in the interrelated niches of farming and health.
RFK Jr.’s Ag Vision
All this began in April 2024 when he presented his presidential manifesto, which included soil transformation and pesticide eradication.
During the April address, he had said the path to these two goals would be through organic and regenerative agriculture.
He used the term “weaponize” to indicate how he would give key agencies control over harmful pesticides on farms.
As an ecological lawyer, the 70-year old has often advocated clean environment while his scores are far-reaching. One of these is a historic win in a legal case against a glyphosate company in California in 2017.
Interestingly, since backing Trump, he has not tried to align his farm policies to those that defined his candidate’s first presidential term.
The Tim Walz Ag Angle
Being a potential Ag secretary, one can’t help but draw parallels between RFK Jr. and Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate.
Tim Walz is also a keen agricultural backer with a long-term stint in the House Agriculture Committee.
As the governor of Minnesota, Walz has helped draft major agricultural policies, including the Farm Bills of 2008 through 2018.
He has also been a keen agitator for emission-free farming, with his state being a key biofuel producer.
So, with the emergence of RFK Jr. as a potential future agriculture secretary, two solid presidential Ag agendas have emerged. And as the following data shows, some agriculture secretaries have actually altered American farming.
United States Agriculture Secretaries Statistics
While there have been many agriculture secretaries, two stand out famously or infamously, including Earl Butz and Tom Vilsack.
1970s: during the Richard Nixon administration, Earl Butz emerged as a fairly unpopular AG secretary who advocated big farming over family farming. He said “get big or get out.” During his 1971 term, U.S. agricultural exports reached a then all-time high of $7.8 billion. This record also marked an export revenue increase by 15% above that of 1970, per St. Louis Fed. According to USDA, virtually every category of exports from animal products to grain increased in the 1970-71 period.
2000s/2020s: another important agricultural secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was Obama’s pick in 2009 and Biden’s in the early 2020s. His notable transformations include the Hunger Free Kids Act and making USDA an equal-opportunity employer. Economically, he ensured American exports remained relevant in the wake of the 2008-9 global economic meltdown. In 2009, the U.S retained its top global agriculture exporter position with over $100 billion in foreign sales. By 2010, exports had recouped the over $120 billion figure they had last achieved in 2008.