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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Tom Vilsack left the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2025 after two periods as secretary that together amounted to nearly 12 years. His next role is now clear: on March 1, 2025, he became the first chief executive officer of the World Food Prize Foundation, where he is focused on expanding its global network and strengthening its work on food and nutrition insecurity.
How long was Tom Vilsack at USDA?
Vilsack served as agriculture secretary in two administrations: during the Obama administration and again under President Joe Biden. The World Food Prize Foundation lists his USDA terms as 2008–2017 and 2021–2025. A January 2025 Successful Farming interview described his combined service as nearly 12 years. That is a rounded description of time served across the two periods, not a claim that he held the post continuously or for exactly 12 years.
| Period | Administration | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–2017 | Obama | The Foundation lists these years as Vilsack’s first USDA period; a House Agriculture Committee biography says he served eight years under Obama. |
| 2021–2025 | Biden | The House Agriculture Committee says he was confirmed for his second period on February 23, 2021. |
The year ranges come from the Foundation’s current CEO biography. The House Agriculture Committee’s September 11, 2024 biography provides the confirmation date and describes his earlier service.
What did Vilsack do after leaving USDA?
Effective March 1, 2025, Vilsack became the World Food Prize Foundation’s first CEO. The Foundation says he is working to expand its global network and strengthen its efforts addressing global food and nutrition insecurity. The appointment came after the USDA departure-era interview, so it is the confirmed outcome—not a plan he had already announced in that conversation.
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The succession at USDA followed separately: the USDA Food and Nutrition Administration announced Brooke L. Rollins’s swearing-in as the 33rd U.S. secretary of agriculture in its official announcement.
What Vilsack said he wanted to work on next
In his final days as secretary, Vilsack said he could not name a specific next step and did not plan to retire. He said, “There’s work to be done in food and nutrition security, and I will look for opportunities to be engaged in that effort.” He also described wanting to support an “alternative model” alongside production agriculture and help livestock producers address methane concerns while sustaining livestock production. These were his aims at departure; they should not be mistaken for a claim that each was achieved in his later Foundation role.
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How Vilsack described his USDA legacy
In the January 2025 interview, Vilsack characterized climate-smart agriculture, sustainable aviation fuel, renewable-energy investments, and local and regional food systems as ways to create additional revenue opportunities for farms. He also cited nutrition assistance, investment in rural natural resources, and equity as parts of his legacy. These are his own assessments of his record, rather than an independent evaluation of program outcomes.
Vilsack also cited figures about the distribution of farm income and the “safety net”: he said the top 10% of farms received 85% of income and 60% of the safety net, while the remaining 90% received 15% of income and 40% of the safety net. The interview does not identify an underlying dataset, publication year, or definition of “safety net,” so those figures are best understood as claims he made, not as independently verified current statistics.
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