President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Sonny Perdue as the next Secretary of Agriculture has been received a warm and positive response from the nation’s livestock industry groups. The veterinarian and former Georgia Governor has been praised for his political and agribusiness experience and his understanding of the nation’s diverse agriculture industry.

“Governor Perdue has a strong record as two-term chief executive of Georgia and is acquainted with a wide array of agriculture commodities, from chicken and peanuts to cotton and timber,” said National Chicken Council (NCC) President Mike Brown in a statement following Perdue’s nomination. “As a veterinarian, agribusiness owner and a governor who established an agricultural advisory committee in Georgia, he understands and appreciates the importance of American agriculture both here and abroad. He is a welcomed choice from the ‘Broiler Belt.’

In his two terms as Georgia’s governor, Perdue presided over the state’s top-ranked agricultural economy. The state is constantly in the top rankings for cotton, egg, peanut and poultry production, and has remained near the top in the production of fruits, including blueberries, cantaloupes, peaches and watermelon. Other top crops include cabbage, sweet corn, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes.

“Well, we don’t have a lot of pork production down in Georgia,” said National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President John Weber, a pork producer from Dysart, Iowa. “but Sonny Perdue is from a farm family and he’s a veterinarian. As head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he’ll be very good for America’s farmers and ranchers.”

Perdue was governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011. Prior to that, he served in the Georgia Senate for 10 years. He also served as a part of Trump’s agricultural advisory team, Perdue grew up on a row crop farm in central Georgia and owned agricultural businesses.

“America’s dairy farmers are looking forward to working with Secretary of Agriculture-designate Sonny Perdue, whose role as the chief advocate for farmers and rural America is absolutely crucial in the new Trump Administration, especially when milk prices have been in a prolonged slump,” said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). “His educational training as a veterinarian gives him unique insights into the important issues facing America’s livestock producers in the areas of animal health, food safety and the environment.”

Audio with Mulhern – Interview with Jim Mulhern, NMPF