Editing Tom Vilsack (section)

===Appointment===
[[File:Tom Vilsack, official USDA photo portrait.jpg|thumb|right|Vilsack's 2009 official portrait during his first tenure as Agriculture secretary]]
[[File:20110816-OSEC-LSC-0457 - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg|thumb|right|Vilsack introduces President [[Barack Obama]] at the [[Northeast Iowa Community College]], for a White House Rural Economic Forum on August 16, 2011.]]

On December 17, 2008, then-President-elect [[Barack Obama]] announced his choice of Vilsack as the nominee to be the 30th [[United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/16/transition.wrap/index.html |title=Sources: Obama to tap Vilsack as agriculture secretary |website=[[CNN]] |date=December 16, 2008 |access-date=September 5, 2012 |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105171656/http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/16/transition.wrap/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Vilsack has governed a largely agricultural state as did the previous two Secretaries of Agriculture, [[Mike Johanns]] (who was later a United States Senator from Nebraska) (2005–2007) and [[Ed Schafer]] (2007–2009).

The Senate confirmed Vilsack's nomination for the position by unanimous consent on January 20, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/20/senate-confirms-6-obama-cabinet-officials-omb-director/|title=Senate confirms 6 Obama Cabinet officials, OMB director|website=[[CNN]]|date=January 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122210647/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/20/senate-confirms-6-obama-cabinet-officials-omb-director/ |archive-date=January 22, 2009 }}</ref>

Reaction to Vilsack's nomination from agricultural groups was largely positive and included endorsements from the [[Corn Refiners Association]], the National Grain and Feed Association, the [[National Farmers Union (United States)|National Farmers Union]], the [[American Farm Bureau Federation]], and the [[Environmental Defense Fund]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Sally|last=Schuff|title=Obama picks Vilsack for ad secretary|magazine=Feedstuffs|date=December 22, 2008|page=1}}</ref> Vilsack was the founder and former chair of the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership, and was named Governor of the Year by the [[Biotechnology Industry Organization]], an industry [[lobbying]] group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bio.org:80/news/pressreleases/newsitem.asp?id=2001_0920_01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218213047/http://www.bio.org/news/pressreleases/newsitem.asp?id=2001_0920_01|title=BIO – Iowas Vilsack Named BIO Governor of the Year|date=September 20, 2001|website=Bio Technology Industry Organization|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-date=December 18, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>