This year’s Farm Progress Show, held in Boone, Iowa, featured two Secretaries of Agriculture discussing presidential politics and addressing the merits of President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney and their respective farm policy.

The Farm Progress show, a public forum/field day where farmers could see new developments in agricultural technology, was launched in 1953. The show allowed farmers to see firsthand the latest farm equipment, seed innovations, and chemical developments that could revolutionize agricultural production in the United States. Due to the large crowds and massive exhibits, organizers selected two permanent biennial locations (Decatur, Illinois and Boone, Iowa) to host the annual show.

This year’s exhibition, in addition to displaying the latest farm technology, served as a forum to discuss presidential farm policy. Current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and former Secretary Clayton Yeutter both used the event to promote the policies of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney respectively.

“With production agriculture and exports, I don’t think anybody can question the last four years have been the strongest export years we’ve had.  That would continue with the TransPacific Partnership discussions and hopefully leading to an extraordinary agreement that would bring into play hundreds of millions of additional consumers,” said Vilsack, praising the Obama Administration’s record on agricultural trade.

Yeutter used the farm show as an opportunity to rally support for Governor Romney, stating, “Agricultural [issues] are always important, and the thrust or the emphasis or the priorities that you’ll see in a Romney administration are going to be somewhat different from an Obama administration – more favorable to agriculture in my judgment.”

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer