Johanns Resigns as USDA Head

WASHINGTON - Sep 20/07 - SNS -- Mike Johanns has resigned his post as the Agriculture Secretary of the United States and Deputy Secretary Charles F. Conner has been named his interim replacement.

In announcing Johanns resignation, President George Bush said, "Mike Johanns has informed me that he plans to return home to Nebraska, which means that his service as Secretary of Agriculture must come to an end. Mike has been an outstanding member of my Cabinet. I knew he would be when I asked him to become the Secretary of Agriculture. I've known him for a long time. I've admired the fact that he is not only a decent person and an honest person, but he's a person who can get some things done.

"So I accepted his resignation and Laura and I bid Mike and Stephanie a warm farewell. And I thank him from the bottom of my heart for leaving a state he loves to come here to Washington, D.C. to work in an -- to work as the Secretary of Agriculture. You know, Mike brought with him a lot of practical farm experience. After all, he was the proud son of a dairy farmer. He understands the importance of the land. He worked tirelessly on behalf of farmers and ranchers.

"And Mike Johanns did an outstanding job as the Secretary of Agriculture. He brought focus and energy to the Department. He was a champion of renewable fuels. He expanded the Department's commitment to conservation. He worked endlessly to open up foreign markets for American beef. He provided timely assistance to farmers and ranchers devastated by natural disasters.

"He worked hard to put in motion a good farm bill. I remember when Mike came here to the Oval he said to me, he said, what I'm going to do is I'm going to travel the country and reach out to the stakeholders to lay the foundation for farm legislation. And that's exactly what he did. And I got feedback from all around America that Mike Johanns listened, he wisely shepherded the process in such a way that we've got a good farm bill in front of the Congress. He set the framework for success, and I'm confident we can get a good bill passed."