Thursday, August 27, 2015

Clinton lays out four-part plan for rural America

With USDA forecasting a 36 percent drop in net farm income, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton returned to Iowa today to announce her policies to strengthen agriculture and support rural communities. With a John Deere tractor in the background, she was introduced by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who endorsed her candidacy for president on Tuesday. Clinton told the crowd her focus is on four key areas: energy, investment, agriculture and assets to help families to succeed. Clinton proposed strengthening the Renewable Fuels Standard “so that it drives the development of advanced cellulosic and other advanced biofuels, protects consumers, improves access to E15, E85 and biodiesel blends, and provides investment certainty.” She also said her goal is to have more than a half a billion solar panels installed in this country by the end of her first term and produce enough clean renewable energy to power every home in American within 10 years of taking office. Clinton proposed expanding access to equity capital for small businesses by increasing the number of Rural Business Investment Companies, which could make equity investments in small rural businesses. She would create a national infrastructure bank and invest in infrastructure to support rural transportation, water and broadband access. Specifically, she would focus on increasing and adoption of high-speed broadband access “so rural small businesses can better connect to the global economy, farmers and ranchers can benefit from agricultural technology and students can benefit from distance learning.” Clinton said she would support the next generation of farmers by doubling funding for the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development program. She would also double funding for the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Programs to expand food hubs, farmers markets, give Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients' access to fresh food, and encourage direct sales to local schools, hospitals, retailers and wholesalers...more 

Other than the usual sop to the corn growers for ethanol,  there's not much there.  Unless, of course, you're young and need a government loan to market organic tomatoes to your local food stamp recipients (sorry, I mean the partakers of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Hillary 4 part plan for rural America:get in shower, get soap, drop soap, bend over.

Frank DuBois said...

Ouch!!