Secretary Vilsack has been busy touring the country with other members of the Obama cabinet as part of the Rural Tour -- but yesterday, he traveled to Philadelphia to give a few words in an urban setting as well.
Joined by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims, Vilsack spoke on the need for cross-agency cooperation, as well as government-private sector cooperation, to combat problems such as nutrition deficiency and food deserts in urban settings. He touched on the many ways USDA programs and activities reach urban Americans, emphasizing that everyone in the United States is affected by the work of the Department of Agriculture every day, in every way.
Once again, as on the Rural Tour, there were lots of questions for the Secretary; people really do understand that what goes on at USDA has a direct effect on their livelihoods.
