by Tom Laskawy
Of course, I'm referring to Tom Vilsack, newly minted head of the USDA. There's been quite a bit of attention paid to Mr. Vilsack round these parts, so I thought I might check in and see how his first week went. The answer: not bad. Via La Vida Locavore we learn that he stopped a couple Bush administration midnight regulations, extended a comment period on a crucial new rule that will restrict high-income farmers from receiving subsidies, canceled a proposed $3 million cut to a block grant program that supports research into so-called "specialty crops" (that's USDA-speak for fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers) and is hard at work on drafting new "Country of Origin Labeling" regulations. What a busy little bee.
