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Secretary Schafer readies for farm bill debateBy Sara Wyant With a narrow window of time to serve as Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer seems determined to hit the ground running and tackle as many issues as possible. After being sworn in on January 28, he's been involved in a meeting with President George Bush, countless briefings, and took time to speak to all USDA employees about his background and management philosophy. Schafer told USDA employees that, "I want to be called Ed," and "stand beside you as a partner in your team." He said his management philosophy is based on principles learned from former North Dakota resident and former President Teddy Roosevelt. "Put the right people in place, let them know what you want them to do and stand out of the way to let them get the job done." Secretary Schafer made it clear that he plans to work "side by side" with Deputy Secretary Conner on a new farm bill, but indicated that he'll also be immersed in the debate. "I'm not going to be a lame duck, a place holder, or just a name on the secretary's desk. I will be actively engaged," he told reporters. Asked about his meeting with President Bush shortly after being sworn in, Schafer said the message was basically to "Get out there and get it done." The President said pretty much what he's been saying all along, Schafer added. Is the President willing to compromise with Congressional leaders on the revenue provisions that have been included to fund a new farm bill. Schafer is quick to answer, "no." "He's not interested in signing a farm bill with new taxes in it." The new Secretary acknowledged that there are "some divides" with Congress, but "hopefully we can start narrowing the gap." Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner has been meeting on a regular basis with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, and Peterson suggested last week that talks seem to be gridlocked. Schafer pointed out that the divisions aren't limited just to the Administration and the House Agriculture Committee. "I think there are huge differences between the House and the Senate. This isn't a bilateral negotiation. There are three parties involved. Top priorities? Job number one will be the farm bill, which the President wants to sign this year, Schafer says. But he also wants to focus on some of the new opportunities created by what he describes as the "merging of energy with agriculture." In addition, the former telecommunications executive says he's "always been passionate about rural communications." As governor of North Dakota, he says it "became apparent that people living and working in rural areas need to be able to communicate and operating in the global marketplace like everybody else." "Those are the areas that I start out with on a long list of things I want to accomplish in the short period of time that I'll be here." 2/11/08 Date: 2/6/08
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