Tom Vilsack, newly appointed secretary of agriculture, is considered by some to be too friendly with agribusiness and biotech.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—President-elect Barack Obama has tapped former Iowa governor, presidential candidate, and biotech backer Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture, ending speculation he might break from the norm and appoint a sustainable-agriculture advocate. “As Governor of one of our most abundant farm states, he led with vision, promoting biotech to strengthen our farmers and fostering an agricultural economy of the future that not only grows the food we eat, but the energy we use,” Obama said at a press conference announcing the nomination. “Tom understands that the solution to our energy crisis will be found not in oil fields abroad but in our farm fields here at home. That is the kind of leader I want in my cabinet.”

THE DETAILS: Vilsack’s past shows he’s cozy with big agribusiness. He has strongly supported genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops, was previously named Governor of the Year by the biotechnology industry group Biotechnology Industry Organization, and has stripped local governments of the rights to regulate genetically engineered seed. He was also a big backer of the use of corn and soy crops for ethanol production, which went on to drive up world food prices. Despite all that, some enviro-powerhouses, like the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, have praised the nomination. “Governor Vilsack can play an important role in helping to bring about the clean-energy economy in a way that benefits both farmers and rural communities and our environment,” Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said in a statement. “The USDA can take the lead in moving us past the corn-based ethanol of today toward the next-generation biofuels of tomorrow.”

WHAT IT MEANS: The jury’s still out. Obama’s plan for Vilsack isn’t clear, but it’s probably safe to say this pick involves biofuels, and possibly even carbon sinking through land preservation, guesses Jeff Moyer, farm manager for the Rodale Institute and 2009 chair-elect of the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board. Perhaps the pick was an attempt to appeal to the masses, too. Choosing a sustainable-farming advocate could have disenfranchised about 90% of the country’s growers, who use chemical farming methods. Moyer says he is “cautiously optimistic” about Vilsack’s nomination, noting that Vilsack has said he wants to be secretary of all agriculture, which could bring organic farming into the bigger picture. Moyer adds that he’s confident the Obama transition team is interested in learning what’s going on in the organic world.

Love or hate the selection, you have the opportunity to say your piece before the confirmation hearings: Outline what you think Vilsack’s top priorities should be on Change.gov. Let your senators know your issues with the pick, too. Strongly disagree? A Google search will turn up no shortage of online petitions opposing Vilsack’s nomination.