Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Visits Indiana

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was in Indiana Wednesday. He visited Purdue University to meet with President Mitch Daniels, as well as students and faculty. 

“It’s renowned throughout the world through their nutrition studies and we saw some other types of things with research going on, the cutting edge research there,” said Perdue to Inside Indiana Business. “What my perception of Purdue University is is they are graduating functional people who can get it done.”

He also made a stop at the Second Helpings facility in Indianapolis. Second Helpings is a company that collects perishable and overstocked food to create hot meals distributed by more than 90 social services agencies to people in need. 

The organization also has a culinary job training program that targets disadvantaged adults to prepare them for jobs in the food service industry.

“I think he was very pleased with the partnership that we have with the Family and Social Services Administration here in Indiana to help our students to build careers and self-sufficiency,” said Second Helpings CEO Jennifer Vigran. “It was great to be able to share with him what we do.”

Perdue said Indiana farmers can benefit from a new trade deal with China, saying he’d like to see China as a customer for agricultural good grown in the United States. 

“We hope we can get a deal,” Perdue said. “The president wants a good deal very badly. I think the Chinese want a deal. It’s a matter of can we do one that’s enforceable.”

(PHOTO: Pool/Getty Images)