Mitt Romney Touts Agriculture Plan for Rural America

Oct 10, 2012

Romney Talks Ag Policy in Iowa

Mitt Romney made a campaign stop on a farm near Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday to outline his white paper on agriculture policy. The GOP presidential nominee made his pitch in an attempt to solidify his vote with rural voters. Romney addressed a crowd of about 1,200 people and stressed his four main talking points outlined in the 16-page white paper: reforming taxes for farmers, purse new trade agreements for agriculture goods, reduce regulatory burdens on farmers and replace current energy policy in order to achieve energy independence by 2020.

During Romney’s speech he criticized Obama on his agriculture track record and for not supporting farmers and ranchers when they needed it most. “We already ask our farmers and ranchers to cope with natural disasters,” Romney said. “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.”

The former Massachusetts governor’s hopes that his plan for American agriculture puts him at stark contrast with that of his opponent Barack Obama, accusing Obama for not doing enough to support agriculture. Iowa will be a battleground state and will be important to both candidates.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.