Vilsack says farms, not farmers, should work harder to grow rural communities

From the Iowa Capital Dispatch:

Vilsack says farms, not farmers, should work harder to grow rural communities

Former governor, ag secretary spoke at Iowa Democrats forum

WARREN COUNTY — Tom Vilsack, former Iowa governor and the U.S. secretary of agriculture during the Obama and Biden administrations, spoke Tuesday with farmers and rural Iowans about his ideas to grow rural communities. 

In the pine-paneled Middleswart Lodge, looking out over Lake Ahquabi State Park, Vilsack explained policies he started, and hoped would continue, that make a farm — rather than a farmer — work harder.  

Article summary: Tom Vilsack, former Iowa governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, has expressed his ideas on growing rural communities. His approach emphasizes that farms, not farmers, should work harder. He suggests diversifying farm incomes and supporting farms of all sizes to stem the loss of farms, farmland, and local economies. Vilsack believes that focusing on local processing, renewable energy, and regional food systems can create a companion model for production agriculture, potentially reviving rural economies.

He raise some good points—many of which are crucial and absolutely worth pursuing. I especially agree with the idea of increasing the number of local processing plants and building out regional food economies. That kind of infrastructure is vital for strengthening both local and state-level food systems.

However, it's hard to ignore the fact that Tom Vilsack has served as Secretary of Agriculture during both the Obama and Biden administrations, and during that time, there was little to no action taken on the ideas he’s now promoting. As a farmer during those years, I saw no real movement toward developing regional food systems or supporting small and mid-sized producers in any meaningful way.

To be fair, the Biden administration has directed some funding toward the development of local processing plants, which is a step in the right direction. But creating a truly viable regional food economy remains an uphill battle—largely because both major political parties, not just the Republicans, are heavily tied to Big Ag. The reality is that these large-scale agriculture companies operate with highly efficient, cost-effective systems—though that efficiency often comes at the expense of animal welfare and overuse of pharmaceuticals.

Still, their models are well developed, and it's incredibly difficult for small farms to compete within the current system. One potential path forward could involve regulation—such as capping the size of dairies and feedlots—which might help level the playing field and create more room for smaller operations to thrive.

That said, the underlying issues are bigger and more complex than they appear on the surface. Many folks in agriculture talk a good game about supporting small farms and local food, but the economic structures in place make it extremely hard for those ideals to take root in practice.