The former governor also made an overture to a growing number of food groups that have pushed for government support of more locally grown, environmentally friendly and nutritious foods, saying he will seek to work "with those who seek programs and practices that lead to more nutritious food produced in a sustainable way."

Vilsack is expected to push Obama's pledge to trim some wasteful farm subsidies, a position that Harkin and many other Midwestern members have endorsed. Southern lawmakers have long blocked lowering subsidy limits, however, as Southern rice and cotton crops require more investment.

The top Republican on the panel, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, has said he hopes that Vilsack will listen to concerns from all parts of the country in his tenure at Agriculture but has otherwise voiced no objections to his nomination, saying at the hearing that he hopes it moves quickly.

In financial disclosure documents released by the Senate Agriculture Committee, Vilsack stated that he receives around $7,500 a year from an Agriculture Department program that pays farmers to idle environmentally sensitive land.

The former governor told department ethics officials in a Jan. 8 letter that he plans to continue receiving that money but would not participate in matters that would have a direct effect on his interest in the Davis Co., Iowa property or on his payments.

A letter from the Office of Government Ethics to the committee said the agency believes Vilsack is in compliance with laws and regulations governing conflicts of interest.