Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan recently met with California small business leaders to best ascertain how the Obama Administration could meet the needs of small farmers and local business leaders.

Over the last few years, the Obama Administration has been deeply concerned with strengthening local agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Campaign, for example, was geared at increasing consumption of local produce and hoped to foster long-lasting relationships between consumers and local farmers.

Other recent moves by the USDA, including offering grants to local farmers markets to help improve wireless networks to allow individuals on Food Stamps to purchase goods, have sought to strengthen the relationship between producers and consumers.

Merrigan’s trip to California is a part of a series of nationwide roundtables with senior members of the administration and the White House Business Council to improve local economic conditions and create jobs. According to Merrigan, “We know that to build a robust economic future for our country, we must continue to invest in rural communities and create new economic opportunities for those who call rural America home. That includes creating jobs by modernizing critical infrastructure, expanding educational opportunities, supporting initiatives that connect farmers and consumers, and promoting the domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products.”

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer