Gary Black, a 1980 University alumnus of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, was a 2006 candidate for Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture and is a Republican candidate for the 2010 election.

Why are you running for Commissioner of Agriculture?
I really see some good opportunities to move this department into the 21st century, with leadership and creativity skill sets to improve it and motivate consumers, and I think it’s a job for someone with a background in agriculture.

What are some of the big-ticket items on your platform?
This campaign is about three simple things. It’s time to do it the right way – safe foods, strong farms and responsible government.

Food inspection is an important responsibility, and given the challenges we’ve seen over the past year, we need better training and to hold people accountable.

I want to make sure the policies the state adopts help improve the lives of those involved in agriculture. I’m concerned with the way our country is going with some of the environmental regulations. Some could make this country lose our competitiveness in the food and fiber markets. I want to stand in the gap and make sure that doesn’t happen to Georgia’s families.

If you could only choose one agricultural issue to speak about, what would it be and why?
It would definitely be food safety. If the confidence in the marketplace falls because we’re not doing our jobs, the farmers will lose markets and then consumers suffer from public health problems at the same time – and neither one of those is acceptable.

Do you think it is important for students to vote on agricultural issues?
I believe the success of the American agricultural sector is somewhat a victim of our own success. American agriculture is so productive it’s allowed many people to leave the farm. Fewer people involved means more people forget where their food and fiber come from. I think it’s important that students understand where their food and fiber come from, because 75 percent of our energy comes from nations that don’t like us very much, and we already feel challenged there.

How do you see the future of the Georgia Department of Agriculture?

I hope we create an environment – I’m not na’ve enough to believe it’s everybody’s first choice – but that people could see us as an employer of choice.

We need to administer an MRI on this department from the head to the toes, a process that could take around 180 days. We’ll be able to determine the future of this department – where are our resources, what are our needs and what we need to stop doing.

Imagine that you are about to eat your “last supper.” If you could make the meal out of only Georgia agricultural commodities, what would you eat?
I’m a cattle producer, so it would definitely be a New York strip steak, a baked Vidalia onion and I would have a good mix of grilled vegetables produced in Georgia. Plus I’d have to have peach pie and fresh vanilla ice cream from one of our dairy producers.