On Wednesday, August 19, 2009, speaking at the Iowa State Fair, former Iowa governor and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told the crowd the “he’s committed to increasing federal purchases of surplus agricultural commodities, a move he argued offers immediate help to struggling rural areas.” That, according to Mike Glover’s article for the Associate Press.Earlier this year the government made pork product purchases at the behest of the nation’s pork producers. Though, recently Vilsack told the nation’s pork producers not to expect any more financial help. According to Vilsack, the government purchased roughly 72 million pounds of pork products. Currently funds are waning, but the Secretary supports efforts to expand purchase programs. Vilsack also told the audience that the United States Department of Agriculture continues to work with foreign countries to ease import restrictions.
While many rural, agricultural areas throughout the country are struggling with smaller market demand, import restrictions, high feed prices, high energy costs, drought, and pests, and though Congress is spending much of its time talking about agriculture in the context of climate change legislation, Vilsack remains optimistic about the future of the nation’s rural areas. Part of the reason for the Secretary’s optimism lays in future investments in rural broadband technology, rural infrastructure, and alternate fuels, as well as a potential cap and trade program. According to the Glover article, Vilsack said, ‘“I believe that for the first time in my lifetime we have the building blocks in place for a revitalized rural economy.”’
To read the Glover article click here.
Posted: 08/20/09
