ALBANY, Ga. -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced he intends to place civil rights front and center at USDA, including calling on Congress to elevate the position of assistant secretary for administration to the undersecretary level and making sure civil rights get as much attention as other program areas headed by undersecretaries. He also said USDA will hire a consulting firm to work with agency offices to make sure procedures are fair to minorities and women. "Some folks refer to USDA as the last plantation, and it has a pretty poor history of taking care of people of color,"...