On Wednesday, Jul. 6, 2011, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack attended a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, with President Barack Obama, the President's Domestic Policy Adviser Melody Barnes and rural communities leaders from across the country for the White House Rural Champions of Change event. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

As chair of the recently established White House Rural Council, I want to make sure you take a look at a new web page that went live on the White House Champions of Change website.  It is focused on the meeting that was held at the White House on July 6, with President Obama, myself and 18 Rural Champions from across 14 states.  The new site features blogs and short video clips from participants about the meeting.  I hope that you’ll take a moment to check it out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Read more »