Food during my early years was a very difficult issue for me. I grew up in an addictive family. My mother had serious problems with alcohol and prescription drugs. I was an overweight kid. I can remember back in those days there werent the strategies that there are today to deal with those issues. – Tom Vilsack

Food is a fairly significant aspect of my life. I have struggled mightily with food. With my weight. And Im conscious of it. So I have a sensitivity to people who struggle with their weight. – Tom Vilsack

Let us build a 21st-century rural economy of cutting-edge companies and technologies that lead us to energy and food security. Such an investment will revitalize rural America, re-establish our moral leadership on climate security and eliminate our addiction to foreign oil. – Tom Vilsack