Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, as part of his recent campaign to bring public pressure to bear on Congress in order to help facilitate the passage of a new farm bill, is touring colleges across the country to discuss the importance of the farm bill and to address the opportunities that farming hold for young people looking for work.
While Secretary Vilsack has taken a legislative backseat during the last year’s farm bill debate (his office decline to write major portions of the bill or suggest major legislative language to Senators and Representatives), he has been a vocal critic of the partisan infighting that has blocked the bill in Congress.
As part of his recent cross-country tour, Vilsack has visited several colleges promoting the farm bill and encouraging young people to consider entering the farm sector
“Despite the great farm economy we’ve seen in the last five years—the most robust farm economy we’ve had in the history of the country—we haven’t seen economic growth in terms of job opportunities in rural areas to the extent that we should have in the past when farmers did well,” Vilsack said. “As a result of that, we continue to grapple with persistent poverty in rural areas.”
“The solution to all of those challenges depends to a great extent on the ability for us to make a case to bright, entrepreneurial, innovative and creative young people—educated at places like Fresno State—to go back to, come and stay in rural communities when the allure of a city or another opportunity might be great,” he said.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer