Today Obama announced Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa, as his pick for secretary of agriculture (yep, that’s really him up there. Republican’s aren’t the only ones who know how to field dress large mammals).

Mr. Vilsack has been described as everything from middle-of-the road to evangelical biotechnology-lover. In November, he described himself as out of the running, saying that the Obama administration hadn’t contacted him about the job. Today at a press conference, President-Elect Obama said he didn’t know where Vilsack got the idea that he wasn’t being considered. Regardless of where he got it, the announcement took the spotlight off of Mr. Vilsack and quieted the then-clamorous opposition to his nomination.

Read below the jump for more on Vilsack’s positions.

On COMFOOD, an email discussion list of the Community Food Security Coalition at Tufts University, for example, the conversation in early November has focused mainly on Vilsack’s support of ethanol and GM corn, calling him, in one case, a “shill for Monsanto”. Contributors on the listserve noted that Vilsack was named Governor of the Year in 2001 by BIO (Biotechnology Industry Organization) “for his support of the industry’s economic growth and agricultural biotechnology research.” While governor, he chastised a group of biotech companies in 2001 when they instituted a self-imposed moratorium on growing GE corn intended for pharmaceutical use in areas where it was likely to contaminate other crops, saying, “It would be foolish and premature to shut down our access to this opportunity until we’ve had a full and fair examination of the scientific evidence on this issue…Iowa can have both a secure food supply and an innovative biopharmaceutical industry – those goals are not mutually exclusive.”

A column in Iowa’s Des Moines Register said “Vilsack is not likely to shift the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a radical new direction as many of Obama’s liberal supporters had hoped.” Brasher, the Des Moines Register columnist who wrote this piece isn’t surprised, however. In an earlier article he pointed out the similarities between Bush’s and Obama’s takes on biotechnology.

Since President-Elect Obama’s announcement this morning, a more moderate vision of Mr. Vilsack has hit the press, echoing the early November Interview with Vilsack on the Center for Rural Affairs’ blog. The interview showed him to be a supporter of reform in the Livestock industry, of labeling GM ingredients in the supermarkets, of increased funding for nutrition programs and of increased oversight by the USDA for new biotechnologies. This post on Triplepundit.com also views him as a moderate, noting his support both for rural development and agribusiness. It names the Environmental Working Group among his supporters, who also include Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, who is an advocate for sustainable agriculture.

Another email to the Comfood listserve pointed out that “While a lawyer in Des Moines, Vilsack represented dozens of family farmers filing Chapt.11 and is sensitive to the plight of family farmers. ” Vilsack also claims that while he believes that Genetically Modified Organisms are here to stay, he isn’t in Monsanto’s pocket. We’ll find out whether his actions as Secretary of Agriculture support that claim.

In the meantime, Ethicurean.com suggests that frustrated sustainable agriculture supporters throw their power behind the numerous other positions that will have large bearing on our agricultural and energy policies over the coming years. Check out this post for information on how to get involved.