Rural America Has Lost Too Much Political Clout

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack thinks he knows why no farm bill passed during an election year. He says rural America has lost too much political clout. The former Iowa governor said rural interests should stop arguing with one another and present a more unified face to Congress. Agriculture Department figures show the population in 50 percent of rural counties has dropped in the last four years. Yet rural America is where most of the food and energy is produced. At a Farm Journal conference, Vilsack urged farmers to appeal more to urban consumers who eat what farmers produce.