DES MOINES - Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a late, but enthusiastic, supporter of Barack Obama, is highly regarded as a candidate for secretary of agriculture.
Vilsack, 57, who served two terms as governor from 1998 to 2006, reportedly has been shortlisted for the top job at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
An Obama adviser, speaking on background Thursday, called reports Vilsack is a "near shoo-in" for the post premature. However, he said Vilsack is "well-liked" by those advising Obama on cabinet choices.
Vilsack doesn't come from a farm background, having grown up in Pittsburgh but that shouldn't be seen as a shortcoming, according to Dusky Terry, who worked for Vilsack for about 10 years.
"Agriculture is so much broader than the traditional sense of farming," said Terry, now a public affairs strategist with CIPCO, an Iowa electric cooperative. "It encompasses food, conservation, energy and broader rural development ... all issues Vilsack advanced as governor."
Vilsack promoted "bio-pharming." suggesting Iowa farmers could grow organisms in their corn and soybean crops that would have applications in crop engineering, textiles and pharmaceuticals.
He was named Governor of the Year by the Biotechnology Industry Organization and was the founder and former chair of the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership. He chaired the Governor's Ethanol Coalition and the Natural Resource Committee of the National Governor's Association.
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