By SUSAN MYKRANTZ
Ohio Correspondent

WOOSTER, Ohio — Agriculture and rural economic development were the topics when U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Quasar Energy Group’s the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center in Wooster July 19.

Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio), whose district includes Wayne County, accompanied Vilsack.

Projects such as Quasar Energy’s biodigester, which converts agricultural waste like manure, commercial food waste and cooking oil to energy, could play a key rural in redeveloping the rural economy reducing America’s reliance on fossil fuels and creating jobs.

As a joint project between Quasar and The Ohio State University, Boccieri said the biodigester will play a role in directing the county away from foreign oil and creating jobs that can’t be outsourced.

With such diverse energy resources available to work for the United States, Boccieri said the project is an example of what it means to be on the leading edge of using energy resources.

Rural America is under stress because of tight economic conditions, according to Vilsack; however, an investment such as that made by Quasar can multiply into between 800,000-900,000 new jobs, because someone has to manufacture the parts for biodigesters, building and maintaining the facilities and install the equipment.

Vilsack also touched on animal agriculture and the recent compromise between Ohio ag and animal rights groups. Vilsack said the compromise helped the state avoid a major battle this fall.

“We have the most productive farmers in the world, and we benefit from them,” he said. “It is about feeding and providing opportunities for affordable, accessible food.”

The U.S. spends between 10-15 percent of its income for food, but in other countries, it is closer to 20-30 percent, according to Vilsack. “My question for those of you who are not farmers is, what do you do with that extra 10 to 15 percent that you are not spending on food?” he said.

With one out of every 12 jobs connected in some way to agriculture, it is also about producing wealth.

The U.S. has a trade surplus of about $28 billion and for every $1 billion in agricultural trade, between 8,000-9,000 jobs are created.

As Wayne County is Ohio’s leading dairy county, Vilsack touched on the challenges facing that industry. In spite of a tough year in 2009, cow numbers and production efficiency continue to rise on Ohio farms, according to Vilsack. Nationwide, over the past decade the number of dairy operations has decreased from 110,000 to 65,000.

“That is not a trend line you want to continue if you want to have an industry that gives youth an opportunity,” he said. “We are making an effort to develop a greater transparency so everyone knows what the rules are.”

Vilsack said the only way to do that is to create a system with more stability and a broader price spectrum. A recently formed dairy council has been charged with reaching a consensus on a national program, looking at price, supply and risk management.

“There has to be a national consensus (on the dairy issue),” he said. “It can’t be one region putting itself against another region if we are actually going to solve this issue.”

He said keeping rural areas strong and viable is critical to the strength of the country.

Forty-five percent of the armed forces currently serving are from rural areas, according to Vilsack.

“Our challenge is not only to get the rural, but also the mainstream media to understand the importance of agriculture,” Vilsack said.

“We care about farmers and we want to see them to succeed,” added Boccieri.