Search Site   
Current News Stories
Solar eclipse, new moon coming April 8
Mystery illness affecting dairy cattle in Texas Panhandle
Teach others to live sustainably
Gun safety begins early
Hard-cooked eggs recipes great for Easter, anytime
Michigan carrot producers to vote on program continuation
Suggestions to celebrate 50th wedding anniversary
USDA finalizes new ‘Product of the USA’ labeling rule 
U.S. weather outlooks currently favoring early planting season
Weaver Popcorn Hybrids expanding and moving to new facility
Role of women in agriculture changing Hoosier dairy farmer says
   
News Articles
Search News  
   
Rural Prosperity Task Force has first meeting
 
By RACHEL LANE
D.C. Correspondent
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rural parts of America may benefit from better interagency communication, and the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity has moved in that direction.
 
Representatives from more than 20 federal government agencies had a seat at the table with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue on June 15 for the first official task force meeting. The hour-long meeting allowed the different agency representatives to introduce themselves and say why the agency was involved. Everyone agreed the task force will be useful.

The body was formed in April after President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order requiring the formation and a detailed, action-oriented plan within 180 days – by Oct. 22. As the head of the USDA, Perdue was selected to lead the formation and the task force itself.

Perdue said the next step is to separate the task force members into smaller work groups focused on discussing specific topics such as the quality of life in rural communities, economic development and innovative technology.

“We’ve got the talking part done this morning and now it is time for action; we want to roll up our sleeves and go to work,” he said.

Many people might have been anxious that it took so long for his nomination to be approved, Perdue said, but since then, Trump has acted swiftly to help rural America. “We know our U.S. economy depends on (agriculture),” Perdue said. “We can help make a fertile bed for their prosperity.”

A big focus of the task force will be to review regulations. He stressed no one is trying to get rid of environmental protections, but, “Rural Americans are great stewards of the land, and we want to give them an opportunity to operate that way. 
Many of the representatives for government agencies claimed they were from rural towns or farm backgrounds.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney said anyone who hasn’t spent significant time in rural America needs to go because agriculture is not the only thing that’s different.

“Everything is different: housing, energy, communications,” he said. “You can’t do it one agency at a time. You have to do it as a team effort.” 
 
Ajit Pai, Federal Communication Commission (FCC) chair, said he spent time recently in towns millions of Americans have forgotten exist. The task force allowed him to look at those people and tell them that yes, the government does care. He is going to focus on getting high-speed technology to everyone because expanding communications to rural communities is why the FCC was formed in the first place. “DOJ has a very deep reach throughout the country,” said Rachel Brand, associate attorney general for the Department of Justice. “Public safety really enables prosperity.”

She said the DOJ is focused on enabling local law enforcement, and on the drug problems including opioids and meth that have disproportionally impacted rural America. Major General Ed Jackson said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers monitors thousands of miles of waterways from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.

The waterways are used for recreation, environmental resource management and transportation. The Corps is reviewing ways to streamline the permitting process.

“We’re continuing to work with your staff and your administration to try to improve our ability to deliver efficiently, consistently and reliably the transportation that is required for this nation’s economy,” he said. “Many of these things we’re talking about touch rural America, touch agriculture in many, many ways.”

Perdue said research shows economic recovery across the United States is not occurring equally. One of four rural children live in poverty, a rate not seen since 1986. Add to that, in the last few years farm income has dropped about 50 percent.

“There are very few places that could survive with a 50 percent cut in revenue in just four years,” he said. The average age of a farmer is older than 60, while young people interested in farming have a high financial threshold to overcome to get started, Perdue said.

Housing, small business development, training for manufacturing jobs that are available, technology, infrastructure, regulations and trade were all issues briefly brought up by various attendees. Over the next few months, these are where the task force members will try to streamline and improve support for rural Americans. 
6/20/2017