Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Director, wrote today … we quote:
“OMAHA (DTN) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has apparently sold President Joe Biden on his whiteboard speech about diversifying farm income and the rural economy.
“The White House this week will start making a push to barnstorm across rural America with a series of events that begins Wednesday when the president visits a farm in Minnesota.
“The White House on Sunday explained the president and several cabinet members ‘will barnstorm across the country to highlight how ‘Bidenomics’ and the ‘President’s Investing in America’ agenda are ensuring rural Americans do not have to leave their hometowns to find opportunity.’
“The effort appears as an attempt to counter the fact that rural Americans are increasingly voting for Republicans in recent elections and criticism from conservative media outlets over issues such as inflation. Instead, the White House wants to highlight the increases in infrastructure and rural energy investments that have happened under Biden’s presidency.
“The president, Vilsack, and other officials will highlight how investments such as climate-smart agriculture “are bringing new revenue to farmers, increased economic development in rural towns and communities and more opportunity throughout the country.”
“Anyone who has seen Vilsack speak over the past few months has seen him use a whiteboard to point out that even though farm income hit a record $183 billion last year, only about 11% of farmers received the bulk of that income. Vilsack has championed more diversified income opportunities through carbon credits, rural renewable energy, bio-based products such as sustainable aviation fuel, local meat-processing, and food production facilities, and more domestic fertilizer production. Vilsack has used the whiteboard speech to counter the argument that the only way for producers to make income is to get bigger.”