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Rural America needs farm bill says O’Brien

Rural development and growth are the goals of the USDA’s Rural Development Agency – and the Acting Under Secretary of that agency says he’s thankful to be a part of it.

“I grew up in a farm in eastern Iowa (Dubuque County) and I take with me, here in Washington, D.C., that value system, that spirit of community, that attitude of just getting done what needs to get done,” says Doug O’Brien.  He tells Brownfield Ag News there’s such potential in Rural America – with production agriculture, local and regional food systems, renewable energy – that people need to be able to ‘capture those opportunities.’

“One of the pieces of the puzzle is having some stable, predictable federal policy and that’s what a Farm Bill is designed to do – and that’s why Secretary Vilsack has made clear just how important it is to get this bill done.”

O’Brien says the House and Senate farm bills now in conference committee contain critical reforms and resources for rural communities. He adds that Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says an extension of the current farm bill, for however long, is NOT a viable option.

Interview with Doug O’Brien (8:00 mp3)

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