Sonny Perdue vows to make American agriculture great again – but for whom?

President Trump wants Perdue to lead the agriculture department - but the head of a global agribusiness could favor big ag over many family farmers

After keeping the rural voters who put him in office on edge until the last moment, President Trump nominated Sonny Perdue, a former Georgia governor now heading a global agribusiness trading company - Perdue Partners LLC - to be his agricultural secretary. The night following Trump's announcement, Perdue took the stage at the Bipartisan Inaugural Gala Celebrating American Agriculture and promised to "make American agriculture great again".

The good news is that Perdue clears a bar far too few Trump cabinet nominees seem to meet - he has experience in government and management, as well as knowledge about the department he's been selected to lead. This is a relief, given the breadth of authority of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), an agency of nearly 100,000 employees with an annual budget over $140m. The bad news is, Perdue also has a great deal in common with other cabinet nominees: a whole lot of money, close ties to big industry and a track record that bodes poorly for the interests of the broader constituency of the USDA: the American people.

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