A Thoughtful and Wide-ranging Discussion in Eastern Ohio

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack kept President Obama’s Rural Tour rolling today with a stop in Zanesville, Ohio. Once known as the “Pottery Capitol of the World,” Zanesville is now striving to find its way in the 21st century economy.



Senator Sherrod Brown and Representative Zach Space joined Secretary Vilsack at the community forum to gather thoughts and ideas from the locals on how to revitalize community. The crowd of over 300 people filled all the seats and stood over three deep around the edge of the room for over 90 minutes of Q and A. Secretary Vilsack extended the event long after he had gotten the signal from staff that it was time to move on to the next event. As the case has been at all of the Rural Tour events, the discussion was civil, thoughtful, and wide ranging.

Audience members asked about building local food networks, protecting the safety of our food supply, international trade of agriculture products, forest management, and the pending climate change legislation. People came from all different parts of the area, and represented the wide variety of interests that form the basis of America’s rural communities.



A small dairy farmer asked about efforts to stabilize the dairy market and make it more competitive for farmers of all sizes, a cattleman expressed frustration about the National Animal Identification System program, a small businesswoman asked about loan programs to help struggling small towns, and a forester noted that woodlands are the source of many agriculture products and that the entire industry was “green” long before anyone was talking about a green economy.

Unfortunately, there were too many questions to answer even in an hour and a half, and Vilsack concluded with a request that everyone continue to the conversation by visiting the Rural Tour Web site.

Permalink  |  Posted at: 03:30PM Sep 01, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]

Vilsack tours biomass facility, holds Rural Tour forum in Sedalia

Over the course of the Rural Tour, innovation has emerged as a common theme in discussing a new energy economy. Farmers and rural businesses have been innovators since this country was founded; it's what sets us apart, and what will revitalize and rebuild rural America.

Innovation was also the focus of the Secretary's visit the Show Me Energy Co-Op in Centerview, Missouri, just before his Rural Tour forum in Sedalia. The cooperative is a cellulosic biomass facility owned by 400 area farmers who process biomass materials and agricultural residue -- corn stalks, plant fibers, etc. -- into fiber fuel pellets.

It has even worked out an arrangement with the Federal Reserve in Kansas City to recycle retired money into pellets, as paper money is a completely cellulosic and soy based product. The pellets are then used by utility companies as a renewable fuel source.



That innovation has opened up new markets for farm products that until recently would have been discarded for having no value. But today, the new economy is alive and well in Centerview as this enterprise took a vision, some assistance from USDA's Rural Develoment and other supporters, and turned it into success story.

Following his tour of the biomass facility, Secretary Vilsack hosted a forum for area producers and citizens at State Fair Community College in Sedalia. There were lots of questions about climate change and renewable energy, international trade in agricultural products, the importance of forest management and timber to Missouri's economy, and the nation's food safety and inspection practices.



For his part, the Secretary outlined for the crowd the efforts by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service to keep the U.S. food supply safe; he also touched on producers being the vanguard for climate change efforts around the country, noting that farmers have always been very innovative and are looking at great new income opportunities in the 21st century. Vilsack also stressed we all have to work to inform more people of the link between farmers and food -- it benefits producers for the American public to understand the efforts put forward to get food from the farm to the fork.

This was another great Rural Tour forum packed with serious discussion on the problems facing the country; until the next forum (on Wednesday, August 26 in Modesto, California) be sure to catch up on the Rural Tour Twitter feed.

Permalink  |  Posted at: 04:51PM Aug 21, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]

Food Safety and Farming Lead Conversation in Charlotte

Yesterday Secretary Tom Vilsack traveled to Charlotte, Mich. for his ninth rural tour stop where more than 500 local residents participated in a rural community forum lead by the Secretary. Senator Stabenow and Congressman Shauer also participated in the wide-ranging discussion of issues facing rural Michiganders. Food safety was on the minds of the community as well; from H1N1 influenza to an interest in increased collaboration at government agencies on food safety efforts.

As in recent community forums, issues facing dairy farmers were hot topics, and Vilsack emphasized USDA’s ongoing efforts to find ways to assist struggling dairy producers. We also heard a lot of interest from people seeking to start their own farmers markets or even to become a farmer.

One of the most meaningful moments from the forum was perhaps the most simple. After Vilsack said to the attending farming community, “We are connected,” someone stood and simply said, “Thank you.” He left with blueberries and cherrys grown in the area.

Permalink  |  Posted at: 08:09AM Jul 14, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA  |  Add Your Comment Here [1]