Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack addresses the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Nashville today. (American Farm Bureau Federation)

By JERRY HAGSTROM

NASHVILLE — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack confirmed here today that President Barack Obama has asked him to continue in his position, and he said his biggest disappointment as secretary has been the unwillingness of Congress to pass a five-year farm bill.

Speaking to reporters after a speech to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Vilsack said that he could list many accomplishments of which he is proud, such as four years of record exports, the resolution of civil rights cases, the Agriculture Department’s assistance in developing the renewable fuels industry and the increase in broadband availability around the country.

But he said his greatest disappointment is that “We don't have a five-year farm bill.”

In his speech, Vilsack noted that in polite company he says he was “disappointed” that the bill was not passed, but acknowledged he has used “different words in smaller settings.”

In his speech and at the news conference, he also stressed the importance of convincing Congress to pass a farm bill this year.

The drought and the looming sequester that would require an 8 percent cut in the USDA budget both create uncertainties for American agriculture, Vilsack said, and increase the reasons why Congress should act on the farm bill quickly.

In its fiscal 2013 budget proposal, the Obama administration had proposed the elimination of direct payments, a cut to crop insurance subsidies to big farmers and small cuts to conservation, but Vilsack said of the 2014 budget proposal, “I don’t know that those decisions have been fully and completely made.”

“We need to attach to those networks,” Vilsack said.

In a formal statement, Vilsack said:

“President Obama and I share a deep appreciation for rural America and its unlimited potential in the years ahead to feed a growing world population, revolutionize America’s energy, further protect our natural resources and create more jobs here at home. We will continue to urge Congress to pass a food, farm and jobs bill that will help us continue USDA’s wide range of efforts to support this work. As we look ahead to a promising future in our small towns and rural communities, I am pleased to continue working alongside President Obama to grow more opportunity in rural America.”