Barack Obama will ensure economic opportunity for family farmers:
Obama and Biden will fight for farm programs that provide family farmers with stability
and predictability. They will implement a $250,000 payment limitation so that we help
family farmers - not large corporate agribusiness.

Support small business development:
Obama and Biden will provide capital for farmers to create value-added enterprises, like
cooperative marketing initiatives and farmer-owned processing plants.

Improve rural quality of life:
Obama and Biden will combat methamphetamine use, improve health care, improve education,
and upgrade infrastructure in rural areas.

Plan to Support Rural Communities
The Problem
Family farmers are being squeezed: Farm consolidation has made it harder for mid-size
family farmers to get fair prices for their products and compete on the open market.

Rural communities are often left behind: Rural communities often struggle to attract
capital because of lack of infrastructure and remote distances. There is less access to
quality doctors, and schools have trouble recruiting teachers. 

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

Ensure Economic Opportunity For Family Farmers

Strong Safety Net for Family Farmers: Obama and Biden will fight for farm programs that
provide family farmers with stability and predictability. They will implement a $250,000
payment limitation so that we help family farmers — not large corporate agribusiness.
They will close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around the limits by
subdividing their operations into multiple paper corporations. 

Prevent Anticompetitive Behavior Against Family Farms: Obama is a strong supporter of a
packer ban. When meatpackers own livestock they can manipulate prices and discriminate
against independent farmers. Obama and Biden will strengthen anti-monopoly laws and
strengthen producer protections to ensure independent farmers have fair access to
markets, control over their production decisions, and transparency in prices. 

Regulate CAFOs: Obama's Environmental Protection Agency will strictly regulate pollution
from large CAFOs, with fines for those that violate tough standards. Obama also supports
meaningful local control. 

Establish Country of Origin Labeling: Obama supports immediate implementation of the
Country of Origin Labeling law so that American producers can distinguish their products
from imported ones. 

Encourage Organic and Local Agriculture: Obama and Biden will help organic farmers afford
to certify their crops and reform crop insurance to not penalize organic farmers. He also
will promote regional food systems. 

Encourage Young People to Become Farmers: Obama and Biden will establish a new program to
identify and train the next generation of farmers. They will also provide tax incentives
to make it easier for new farmers to afford their first farm. 

Partner with Landowners to Conserve Private Lands: Obama and Biden will increase
incentives for farmers and private landowners to conduct sustainable agriculture and
protect wetlands, grasslands, and forests. 

Support Rural Economic Development

Support Small Business Development: Obama and Biden will provide capital for farmers to
create value-added enterprises, like cooperative marketing initiatives and farmer-owned
processing plants. They also will establish a small business and micro-enterprise
initiative for rural America. 

Connect Rural America: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will ensure that rural Americans have
access to a modern communications infrastructure. They will modernize an FCC program that
supports rural phone service so that it promotes affordable broadband coverage across
rural America as well. 

Promote Leadership in Renewable Energy: Obama and Biden will ensure that our rural areas
continue their leadership in the renewable fuels movement. This will transform the
economy, especially in rural America, which is poised to produce and refine more American
biofuels and provide more wind power than ever before, and create millions of new jobs
across the country. 
Improve Rural Quality Of Life

Combat Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine use has increased 156 percent nationwide since
1996. Obama has a long record of fighting the meth epidemic. As President, he and Joe
Biden will continue the fight to rid our communities of meth and offer support to help
addicts heal. 
Improve Health Care: Rural health care providers often get less money from Medicare and
Medicaid for the very same procedure performed in urban areas. Obama and Biden will work
to ensure a more equitable Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement structure. They will
attract providers to rural America by creating a loan forgiveness program for doctors and
nurses who work in underserved rural areas. They support increasing rural access to care
by promoting health information technologies like telemedicine. 

Improve Rural Education: Obama and Biden will provide incentives for talented individuals
to enter the teaching profession, including increased pay for teachers who work in rural
areas. Obama and Biden will create a Rural Revitalization Program to attract and retain
young people to rural America. Obama and Biden will increase research and educational
funding for Land Grant colleges. 

Upgrade Rural Infrastructure: Obama and Biden will invest in the core infrastructure,
roads, bridges, locks, dams, water systems and essential air service that rural
communities need.
 
Barack Obama's Record

A Record on Rural Issues: In 2006, Obama supported legislation that would have reversed
$2 billion in cuts for U.S. Department of Agriculture programs including conservation,
rural development, nutrition, and forestry programs that are vitally important to our
rural communities. In addition, he supported legislation providing full funding for
agricultural programs that were authorized by Congress in the 2002 Farm Bill. Obama has
supported funding for Illinois communities through the Rural Community Empowerment
Program, which includes the establishment of rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise
Communities, as well as other federal programs that maintain and build upon the assets of
rural communities. Obama has worked on numerous efforts in the U.S. Senate to increase
access to and use of renewable fuels, including corn-based and cellulosic ethanol. He
cosponsored the Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2006 to make grants to state agriculture
departments for direct economic loss payments to eligible small businesses. He
cosponsored legislation that became law to combat the scourge of methamphetamines. Obama
also introduced legislation to remedy years of discrimination against black farmers by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.