December 2009

Those of us fortunate enough to have quality broadband service in our homes and workplaces know that it opens educational, business and entertainment opportunities that can only be imagined by those still living in a “dial up” world.  President Obama believes that all Americans should have access to Broadband, and today, through funding provided by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we made a substantial down payment on the drive to provide Broadband to communities that have little or no access to the technology.

This week, at my request, USDA Rural Development and Farm Service Agency staff kicked off a series of meetings intended to gather ideas about ways to spark job creation and economic growth in rural America. This request is a direct result of the Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth that President Obama hosted at the White House earlier this month.

Today in Copenhagen, agricultural research took center stage at the United Nations Climate Change Conference when Ministers from 17 countries and I launched a Global Research Alliance that will help us better understand how agriculture can help reduce greenhouse gases while also growing more food.  USDA will commit up to $90 Million over four years towards this scientific Alliance that we hope will broaden our existing research networks and build new ones.

USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently joined White House Assistant Chef and Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass and other USDA officials, staff, and volunteers to help winterize the garden on the White House grounds by establishing tunnels and cover crops.

Last week, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and I had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Hench, a single Mom of five whom, thanks to the recovery act, was able to move her kids to a home in a nice development just outside of Carlisle, PA.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the ongoing climate change talks here in Copenhagen. During a day-long meeting at the University here, “Agriculture and Rural Development Day”, Secretary Vilsack met with academics, scientists and other world leaders to plan ways to incorporate agriculture into the post-Copenhagen climate agenda.

With a lot of support from her family and financing through USDA Rural Development and the Recovery Act, Elissa Jahn is now a home owner. Check that, she is now a very proud home owner.

Yesterday the U.S. Forest Service hosted a side-event at the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Change Conference with some very special stakeholders unable to make the trip. A video-conference discussing climate change was held between DC-area students at Forest Service headquarters and students in Copenhagen, Denmark.

It’s apparent as you speak to the Danes here in Copenhagen that this city, and all of Denmark has a lot on the line when it comes to the issue of climate change.  No part of this country is far from the sea, and climate change and a rising sea level combined could alter living conditions substantially in the not-too-distant future.  There is also a large agricultural sector here and much of the farm industry is based on the cooperative model, so climate change poses a significant local economic concern.

Earlier this week I participated in an Obama Administration Clean Energy Economy Forum in Arlington, Virginia with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewables Cathy Zoi, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, and former U.S. Senator John Warner.