Posted: 10.31.2010

The stage is set for an interesting Tuesday - with the turn out of the rural population key to what party wins what position.

Friday, U.S. Ag Secretary, Tom Vilsack, spent some time talking with Farm Director, Pam Jahnke, about why the rural vote is so critical this year.

Vilsack:
"Pam, I don't think there's any doubt that the rural vote is going to count.  With farm bill development key in 2011 - you want to make sure you have people that understand the intricacies of the farm bill and its importance. You know these are not simple, easy policy decisions to be made, so its helpful to have people with experience working on it.  For example we've got the energy title of the farm bill that's going to do good things to expand jobs in rural communities - but you've got to have somebody that's ready to fight for it."

When asked about the 2012 Farm Bill, Vilsack told Jahnke he will not do what previous U.S. Ag Secretaries had done - he'll refrain from writing a farm bill for presentation, and possible rejection.

Vilsack:
" It didn't seem as if that worked very well.  You had two presidential vetoes of the farm bill, and it didn't appear that Congress really paid any attention to what the secretary put forward.  I see our role as an assistor - someone who is there to help Congress do their work.  I'm hopeful we can have some input - that we can help shape a farm bill that allows the safety net to be maintained, and how we can improve rural communities."

You can listen to all of the conversation between U.S. Ag Secretary, Tom Vilsack and Pam Jahnke just by clicking HERE.

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