VAN METER, IOWA, Oct. 9, 2012 - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney brings his 2012 campaign back to Iowa today with a focus on farm and rural policy.
Romney plans to address agricultural issues during an event held at the Koch family farm near Van Meter, focusing on some of the same themes that he outlined with the August rollout of his national farm and ranch coalition: Expanding trade, elimination of the death tax, getting rid of excessive overregulation, and building energy independence by 2020. However, there is more detail to the rural plan released today.
“America’s farmers and ranchers play an incredibly important role in our economic prosperity and must be supported,” said Romney. “My Plan for a Stronger Middle Class includes policies that will help the agriculture sector thrive and deliver an economic recovery for rural America.”
According to his campaign, Romney will criticize President Obama for pursuing harmful policies from "tax increases and onerous regulations, to a stalled trade agenda, to efforts to drive up the cost of energy, the President’s agenda has consistently disregarded the concerns and needs of farmers, ranchers, and rural communities."
“We already ask our farmers and ranchers to cope with natural disasters,” said Romney. “They should not also have to battle a man-made disaster of taxes and regulations from Washington. Our economic recovery must also be a rural recovery, and my plan for a stronger middle class will ensure that our agricultural sector grows and thrives.”
To read the Romney campaign’s full rural policy white paper, click http://mi.tt/R12mrE
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has repeatedly visited the state to make the case for four more years of President Obama and to blame the GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives for failure to pass a new farm bill. But today, Vilsack is just across the border in Omaha, attending a regional drought recovery workshop. Patty Judge, a former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and former Lt. Governor is expected to be on hand in Van Meter today to rebut Romney’s comments.
In advance of his speech, the Romney campaign announced its Iowa Farmers for Romney coalition that is led by Iowa GOP Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and former Farm Bureau leaders Dean Kleckner and Craig Lang, U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, U.S. Reps. Steve King and Tom Latham, and an advisory panel made up of more than 70 farmers and their spouses.
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey pointed to the important role that farmers and agricultural businesses play in powering Iowa’s economy.
“Over the course of the past three and a half years, President Obama hasn’t made good on the promises of his campaign four years ago, and the impact of his economic policies has been devastating throughout the country. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will provide new direction and fresh leadership in the White House that will allow us to boost trade, bring America back from the fiscal cliff, and increase take-home pay for the middle class.”
The complete list of the Iowa Farmers for Romney coalition is below:
Chair: Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Co-Chair: Dean Kleckner, former President of the American Farm Bureau Federation
Co-Chair: Craig Lang, former President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
Honorary Co-Chairs
Chuck Grassley, United States Senator
Mike Johanns, United States Senator*
Steve King, United States Congressman
Tom Latham, United States Congressman
Advisory Board
Dr. Duane Acker, Atlantic
Charlie Albrecht, Readlyn
Ben Albright, Lytton
Jim and Jacque Andrew, Jefferson
John Askew, Thurman
Varel Bailey, Anita
Norman and Ruth Barker, Le Mars
Tom and Judy Barrett, Dallas Center
Senator Merlin Bartz, Grafton
Larry Beyer, Marengo
Mark Buskohl, Grundy Center
Dave Calderwood, Traer
Jeff Cuddeback, Washington
Kelly and Christy Cunningham, Atlantic
State Representative Dave Deyoe, Nevada
Joseph Dierichx, DeWitt
State Senator Bill Dix, Shell Rock
Tom Dorr and Ann Allison Dorr, W. Des Moines
Andrew Dorr, Urbandale
Mike Fara, Irwin
Will Frazee, Emerson
Doug and Teresa Freund, Atlantic
John and LaNette Freund, Lewis
Kevin and Kylie Freund, Lewis
Marilyn Freund, Atlantic
Matt and Dawn Freund, Lewis
Ray and Elaine Gaesser, Corning
Chris Gaesser, Lenox
Richard Golinghorst, Walcott
Ann Wilson-Grant, Delhi
State Representative Pat Grassley, New Hartford
Joe and Jodie Greig, Estherville
State Senator Sandra Greiner, Keota
Sharon and Jim Greif, Monticello
Darrick Hall, Anamosa
State Representative Lee Hein, Monticello
Keith and Alexa Heffernan, Cedar Falls
Doug Hoffman, Clarence
James and Theresa Hohenberger, Atlantic
Kyle Holthaus, Waukon
Bill Horan, Rockwell City
Dr. Charles Hurburgh, Ames
Dustin Johnson, Alburnett
Todd Kalkwarf, Aplington
State Senator Tim Kapucian, Keystone
Glen Keppy, Davenport
Karol and Rozanne King, Mondamin
Jeff and Diane Koch, Van Meter
Jim and Margaret Koch, Van Meter
Lindsey Larson, Jefferson
Ron Litterer, Greene
Landi McFarland, Ellston
Derryl McLaren, Farragut
Andrew Naeve, Clinton
Charlie Norris, Mason City
Wayne and Margaret Northey, Spirit Lake
State Representative Steven Olson, DeWitt
Jim and Nancy Pellett, Atlantic
Brad and Kristy Pellett, Atlantic
Dan Petersen, Muscatine
Guy Peterson, Wyoming
Ken Rozenboom, Oskaloosa
Al Schafbuch, Dysart
Javen and Kathy Smith, Atlantic
Dan Stadtmueller, Monticello
State Representative Annette Sweeney, Alden
Bryan Young, Stratford
Dan Zumbach, Ryan
Doran Zumbach, Coggon
#30
For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com
