US agriculture and biofuels industry groups Thursday praised President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Sonny Perdue as secretary of agriculture, affirming his experience and commitment to farmers' interests. "The nomination of former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue for Secretary of Agriculture is welcome news to the nation's farmers and ranchers," said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, in a statement.
"When farmers and ranchers are free to access cutting-edge technologies, reach new markets and make decisions that protect their businesses and resources, we all are better off," Duvall said.
The National Corn Growers Association echoed a positive impression of Perdue.
"Agriculture is the backbone of rural America, and we need strong leadership within USDA to keep moving the industry forward through difficult economic times," said Wesley Spurlock, association president, who congratulated Perdue on the nomination. "That means protecting risk management programs, continuing to grow the renewable fuels industry, expanding foreign markets and increasing demand for US agricultural products throughout the world," Spurlock said in a statement.
The Renewable Fuels Association also saw the nomination of Perdue as positive for biofuels interests.
"We look forward to working with Governor Perdue and others in the administration to continue the growth and evolution of the US biofuels industry," Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, told S&P Global Platts in an email. "The single most important value-added industry for farmers today has transformed rural communities all across the country."
Trump's transition team earlier Thursday announced the selection of Perdue, the governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011, as agriculture secretary.
"I'm going to champion the concerns of American agriculture and work tirelessly to solve the issues facing our farm families in this new role," Perdue said in the transition team's statement.
Trump affirmed his confidence in Perdue's experience in that statement.
"From growing up on a farm to being governor of a big agriculture state, he has spent his whole life understanding and solving the challenges our farmers face," Trump said.
While Georgia governor, Perdue signed legislation offering income tax credits for clean energy. He also supported setting a goal of renewable energy comprising 25% of total energy consumption in the US by 2025.
Perdue also signed a 2010 letter from 20 governors asking Congress to avoid burdensome regulations around greenhouse gas emissions.
"The [Environmental Protection Agency] has initiated efforts to impose greenhouse gas regulations that could be harmful to our economies at an especially critical time," the governors said in the letter. "As Governors, we are gravely concerned about such regulation."
Perdue owns AGrowStar, a grains trading company with presence in Georgia and South Carolina. Perdue is not associated with the large chicken producer of the same name.
