Ag Dept Releases Report On Promoting Rural Prosperity

What’s the story?

In concert with President Trump’s address to the American Farm Bureau convention in Nashville on Monday, the administration released a report on promoting rural prosperity. The report was required in response to an executive order that the president signed in April, and was submitted by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue.

The report makes a variety of recommendations, organized under five headers: achieving e-connectivity, improving quality of life, supporting a rural workforce, harnessing technological innovation, and developing the rural economy.

The call throughout the report to reduce regulations is consistent with the administration’s larger objectives, as is the call for public/private partnerships. Other recommendations fly in the face of administration policies.

For instance, the report calls for increased access to high-speed internet for hospitals, schools, farms, businesses and individual citizens, yet the repeal of net neutrality could price many of these citizens and institutions out of the high-speed market.

The report also points to the importance of safe drinking water as the president is touting the benefits of the repeal of the Waters of the United States rule, which protected watersheds utilized by rural communities across the country.

The report encourages the expansion of apprenticeship programs and connecting veterans to underutilized training programs by streamlining access to information about opportunities. And it encourages government investment in science-based research and development of biotechnology products.

Overall, it is a set of recommendations largely focused on large-scale commercial agriculture and the expansion of Wall Street-level investment into rural areas. It remains to be seen how many of the recommendations will actually become a reality and how (or whether) they will benefit rural Americans.

What do you think?

Do you think this report is a sign that the administration is on the right track in meeting the needs of rural America or not? What do you like about the recommendations? What do you think is missing?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

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— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Kingbird Farm)