Growing up one of my favorite television shows was Lost In Space. It was the story of a futuristic space family that had set out from earth for Alpha Centauri. But due to a malfunction, caused by the show’s nemesis Dr. Smith, the ship went off course and for the next 83 episodes wandered from planet to planet trying to get back to Earth.

As a child, it never dawned on me why this group of highly advanced and intelligent humans could never manage to simply find their way home. My favorite character was the B9 robot that had a “danger sensor” and who would announce “danger, danger” whenever some malicious alien was about to attack.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack needed a B9 last week. Perhaps if someone had yelled “DANGER” in his ear, he would have not stepped into the media and political quicksand that almost cost him his job.

The firing of Shirley Sherrod for allegedly making racist remarks quickly turned into the scandal of the summer in Washington. With the BP oil spill plugged, the media machine was hungry for a new story, and Vilsack gave them what they wanted.

As far as Washington scandals go, this was a good one. It had almost all the elements that make for sensational headlines: hours of emotional talk show ranting, and right in the middle of the election campaign cycle. It pitted blacks against whites, liberals against conservatives, and men against woman. About the only missing element was sex. In the end Vilsack, wearing that deer in the headlights look, took the blame for the whole affair, “This is a good woman and she’s been put through hell. I could have and should have done a better job.”

His contrite apology most likely kept him from being fired by the White House, but this incident but it also begs the question: What the hell are they doing at USDA?

Vilsack and his team have been ruffling feathers in the ag community ever since they hit town. They have been articulating a much different vision of agriculture and rural America than previous administrations have.

Armed with billions of dollars in stimulus funds, Vilsack put rural development front and center - a place it had never occupied before. Hundreds of millions was spent on Internet access, community centers, rural housing, and water treatment plants. When farm groups and members of Congress from farm states criticized him, Vilsack said they were out of touch.

While a number of important issues related to the production of food and the profitability of farm families (including livestock traceability and free trade deals with Columbia and Korea) go unresolved, the USDA has launched a new initiative called Know Your Farmer, Know your Food.

This is a program designed to help consumers connect with local farmers and food sources. A noble and worthwhile cause, but is it really what a federal government agency should be about? It seems to me the leadership of USDA has lost focus.

They are more concerned about what the media or consumer groups say than in advocating good policy for the food, fiber, and fuel production sectors of our country. Like the family in Lost in Space, the USDA is hopping from issue to issue and crisis to crisis. After years, they have yet to articulate a clear, coordinated, and coherent strategy for American agriculture. As the B9 robot would say, “Danger Danger” Mr. Secretary, American agriculture needs your attention and it needs it now.