Posted: 08.03.2011
There wasn't a lot of ceremony with the signing of the massive debt restructuring bill that the president signed into effect on Tuesday - but it does put some responsibility squarely on U.S. agriculture to do it's part.
Wisconsin's third district congressman, Ron Kind, said this current bill does not touch agricultural spending or farm programs - which he considered disappointing. In comments made from the House floor, Kind, who is an outspoken critic of farm subsidies said the debt restructuring bill should include farm cuts too and "End tax payer subsidies going to large agribusinesses with mailing addresses in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco - not even going to working families".
Meanwhile U.S. Ag Secretary, Tom Vilsack will be in Wisconsin Wednesday and Thursday trying to poke agriculture into even higher performance on the international scene.
Wisconsin saw a 36% increase in agricultural exports - amounting to a $2.4 billion segment - but Vilsack believes there's more out there. Today in Milwaukee he'll convene a National Export Initiative conference at the the Milwaukee Grain Exchange to try and encourage other Wisconsin companies to investigate what the world market might hold. In an interview with Pam Jahnke, Darci Vetter of the Foreign Ag Service in Washington, D.C., said that Wisconsin was chosen, in part, because of it's strong export leadership.
Secretary Vilsack will be sticking around Wisconsin a little while too. Thursday he'll host a White House round table on jobs and the rural economy on opening day of the Wisconsin State Fair. The forum begins at 11:30 on Thursday in the Exhibition Hall at State Fair Park. Vilsack plans on involving business and community leaders and farmers to talk about ways federal, state and local officials can improve economic conditions and create jobs.
He's expected to highlight job creation and how agricultural trade is contributing to Wisconsin's economy. Wisconsin's agriculture industry has nearly 350,000 jobs in the
state.
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