This is about our former governor, now Ag Sec., Tom Vilsack. From Huffington Post.--Tom (Mathews) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david) _Laurie David_ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david) Producer/Author/NRDC Trustee GET UPDATES FROM Laurie David (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Laurie David) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=laurie-david) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/) (http://twitter.com/Laurie_David) _Like_ (javascript:void(0);) 157 Wake Up, Secretary Vilsack Posted: 05/ 9/11 08:34 AM ET (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?view=print) React _Amazing _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) _Inspiring _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) _Funny _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) _Scary _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) _Hot _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) _Crazy _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871 .html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) _Important _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) _Weird _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=050911&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&u tm_term=Daily%20Brief#) Follow (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/food) _Food _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/food) , (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/food-politics) _Food Politics _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/food-politics) , _Tom Vilsack _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/tom-vilsack) , _Animal Antibiotics _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/animal-antibiotics) , _Animals Antibiotics _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/animals-antibiotics) , _Antibiotic Resistance _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/antibiotic-resistance) , _Antibiotics _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/antibiotics) , _Antibiotics In Meat _ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/antibiotics-in-meat) , _Food News_ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food) share this story _6_ (javascript:void(0);) _43_ (javascript:void(0);) _1_ (javascript:void(0)) _3_ (javascript:void(0);) Get Food Alerts _Sign Up_ (javascript:void(0);) Submit this story digg _reddit_ (http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html&title=laurie-david: Wake+Up,+Secretary+Vilsack) _stumble_ (http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/post_2010_b_858871.html&title=laurie-david: Wake+Up,+Secretary+Vilsack) Dear Secretary Vilsack, I'd like to thank you for tackling some very tough questions from audience members at last Wednesday's _The Future of Food conference_ (http://washingtonpostlive.com/conferences/food/archive) in Washington, DC. Your passion and commitment for farmers and rural communities is moving and greatly appreciated. I must admit, however, I am extremely disappointed with your response to _my question_ (http://www.georgetown.edu/story/vilsack.html) about antibiotic use in food animals. I asked, when will the government do something to stop producers from squandering 70% of our antibiotics on healthy farm animals? You answered with the question, "How do you basically legislate that?" Almost everyone in the audience knew the answer. Spontaneously, like a Greek chorus, dozens of voices yelled out, "regulate it!" How else are we going to save our antibiotics for what they were first intended? Without antibiotics modern medicine could literally be _taken back_ (http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/2/155.abstract) to the days when a simple childhood ear infection lead to permanent hearing loss and worse cases death. Mr. Secretary, knowing your passion to help the people who live in rural communities, there is no larger issue to focus your attention on than protecting them from antibiotic-resistant bacteria sourced from food animals. Public health experts warn farm workers and the people who live near these factory farms face a _greater risk_ (http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/Indiana%20--%20CAFOs%20%20Communities.htm) of farm-acquired antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections than the general public. I understand that the USDA's stance, as you stated, is to encourage farmers to use antibiotics "judiciously." With all due respect, our current predicament is proof that "voluntary" measures don't work and now there is no time left to ask industrial producers nicely to stop wasting our antibiotics. We must act now. While regulating antibiotics may fall under the Food and Drug Administration's jurisdiction, as the Secretary of Agriculture, I hope you take the time to find ways to support the FDA in "regulating" this gross misuse of modern medicine's most precious resource. You may also want to consider standing behind the _Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act_ (http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/03/rep-slaughter-reintroduces-bill-to-limit-antibiotic-use-in-ag/) . U.S. Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the only microbiologist in Congress, recently _reintroduced_ (http://www.louise.house.gov/) the bill, which calls for the end of using medically important antibiotics on healthy food animals. This Blogger's Books from (http://www.amazon.com/) (http://www.indiebound.org/?aff=HuffingtonPost) (http://www.amazon.com/Family-Dinner-Great-Ways-Connect/dp/0446565466?SubscriptionId=0JJEH4PKQM4ZHS8QY102&tag=thehuffingtop-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&c reative=165953&creativeASIN=0446565466) _The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time by Laurie David, Kirstin Uhrenholdt _ (http://www.amazon.com/Family-Dinner-Great-Ways-Connect/dp/0446565466?SubscriptionId=0JJEH4PKQM4ZHS8QY102&tag=theh uffingtop-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0446565466) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp