I want the USDA to look like America, and I want it to be the best, most effectively managed agency in the U.S. That starts with good people.
— Sonny Perdue
I'm not sure about public apologies on behalf of other people as far as the motivation for them.
In Georgia, agriculture is one area where Democrats and Republicans consistently reached across the aisle and work together.
We have to get out of the mindset that, 'If I invest $1 in crop insurance, I want to make sure I get a $1.10 or plus out of that.'
You don't try to fix things that aren't broken.
I'm a big fruit-and-vegetable kind of guy.
No American - Christian or otherwise - should have to choose between their careers and their faith.
With global markets ever expanding, we need to make sure that our American farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers are well positioned to continue to lead the world.
The only legacy I seek is the one that any grandparent seeks - that is, to hand off our nation... our fields and our farms to the next generation in better shape than we found it.
In my eight years as governor, I did everything I could to resist federal control of issues that belong to the states.
The jury is still out on whether humans are causing climate change.
While some of the critics are voicing legitimate concerns about the merits of a system of academic benchmarks, Common Core is frequently a straw man for the frustrations conservatives have with the federal government.
It's become a running joke among the public, and liberals have lost all credibility when it comes to climate science because their arguments have become so ridiculous and so obviously disconnected from reality.
It doesn't hurt to be a former governor. It helps in terms of getting your phone calls returned.
We can love all people while loving the law and expecting the law to be fulfilled, and that's a tricky balance.
The South is a great driving destination for tourism - heritage, cultural and many other types of tourism.
You see, greatness for a state doesn't require some huge monument for all to see. It is not a journey to a particular destination - but a commitment to follow a course of constant and never-ending improvement.
I think overall, from a deputy, from an undersecretary standpoint, the goal of a good leader is to get diversity across there. Geographical diversity is important. Industry diversity is important: you can't have all corn growers... Not only that, you've got gender diversity, you've got racial diversity.
I haven't run across anyone in Georgia who is not regretful and repentant of man's inhumanity when you talk about owning one another.
We have seen levee breaks and flooding in the wake of storms, some of which have caused the loss of life, and USDA is ready to assist in any way we can.
I want to say something in a tough-love kind of way about crop insurance. Let's face it: You don't buy insurance on your house hoping it will burn down. Neither do we want to buy crop insurance and hope our crop fails so we can file.
I'm not very much of a 'name it and shame it' kind of guy.
I've helped create and save thousands of American jobs.
I expect each and every USDA employee to uphold their fellow Americans' First Amendment freedoms.
We simply believe that everyone who lives in our state needs to abide by our laws.
My first goal as governor is to restore public trust in state government by changing the culture of state government.
The goal of any farmer, after producing enough to feed his own family, has always been to find the best place to sell the year's crop.
It is simply unacceptable for people to sneak into this country illegally on Thursday, obtain a government-issued I.D. on Friday, head for the welfare office on Monday, and cast a vote on Tuesday.
The simple facts are these: We need higher standards in our schools, and we need to hold teachers accountable for the outcomes in their classrooms.
It is a commitment to our children and grandchildren to preserve a statewide network of land and water resources, prime agricultural and forestry lands, and natural, historic, and recreational areas for them to enjoy.
Food is a noble thing to trade.
The Republican Party needs to be very, very careful that it maintains the Golden Rule in its rhetoric regarding immigration policy.
Requiring valid, photographic identification is a common sense step to ensure voter integrity and sound elections.
We want a state wise in its contemplation - just in its actions - and moderate in the reach of government into our lives.
I'm going to be the unapologetic chief advocate, chief salesman for American agriculture products around the world. You grow 'em, we're going to sell 'em.
Repentance comes from the heart.
Floods, droughts, and natural disasters are a fact of life for farmers, ranchers, and foresters. They have persevered in the past, and they will adapt in the future - with the assistance of the scientists and experts at USDA.
It's not in the heart of America to see others go hungry.
If I want to call somebody's name out, I want to make sure they've done wrong.
I don't think you ought to walk into this country one day, and the first stop you make is the welfare office.
I will absolutely be an advocate and a fighter where necessary.
Ethanol is here to stay, and we're going to work for new technologies to be more efficient.
I am a conservative Republican from the South.
Since I was a boy - born into a farming family in Bonaire, GA - I've had agriculture running through my veins.
Agriculture is in my heart.
The fact is that Common Core is no more responsible for a bizarre homework question than global warming is for a rain shower.
Our form of government depends on a mutual bond of trust between the people and their government. But people have become cynical about their government.
I am a small business owner; I'm in the agri-business. That's about as blind a trust as you can get. We trust in the Lord for rain and many other things.
Yes, I'm your governor now. I'll take care of you.
I call it people-to-people politics and that's what politics should be about, reaching out and helping one another and touching one another about what we're going to do.
