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AGRICULTURE SECRETARY PROMOTES RURAL EDUCATION
WPR News - Agriculture secretary promotes rural education
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Thursday April 19, 2012
by Shamane Mills
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(PLATTEVILLE) The U.S. Agriculture and Education secretaries appeared in southwest Wisconsin Wednesday (4/18) for a town hall meeting. They say their departments will collaborate to ensure rural students are ready for the jobs of future.
With a tractor as a backdrop and wood chips on a farm shed floor, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sat next to Education Secretary Arne Duncan at UW-Platteville's college farm. Both men told a crowd of mostly Future Farmers of America members they need higher education to get ahead. Ag Secretary Vilsack said that includes technical fields where there aren't enough skilled workers to fix complex machinery, "We used to be a country that valued those that work both with their head and their hands. We've now become a country that sort of values the folks who work with their head and undervalues those who work with their hands. And we ought not to be that kind of country because that's what made us good."
In a question and answer session, the Farm Bill came up. Vilsack likes to call it the "farm jobs and food" bill, to underscore it doesn't just benefit rural residents. Amy Seeboth questioned whether the new farm bill would have less emphasis on commodity crops like corn and soybeans. She works for a five county agency that helps community development. The Southwest Planning Committee would like more local food crops like vegetables and fruits that could be sold to boost local economies, "The farm bill's been great--don't get me wrong but its created setbacks that we have to work extra hard to overcome."
Vilsack said the department has begun the process of ensuring more availability of risk management tools, like crop insurance and credit, for specialty crops. And he said the U.S. recently negotiated an organic trade agreement with Canada and the European Union which will open up markets for certified U.S. organic produce.
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