Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack brought the administration’s economic message to Kansas City on Friday, saying his department was fostering growth in Missouri that’s “built to last.”
Vilsack met with at least two dozen leaders from farming, electric co-ops, higher education and the Mid-America Regional Council to discuss economic development.“Missouri’s got a lot going on toward being in the center of a ‘grown in America’ economy,” Vilsack said. “If we grow and make things people want to buy, that will go a long way toward reclaiming the future for the middle class.”Vilsack said Missouri was strong in agriculture but also in research and other bio-based ventures involving chemicals, polymers and fibers.Vilsack also said his department’s spending the past three years had provided jobs and infrastructure to help private businesses grow. He listed accomplishments in Missouri including better electrical service for 2.4 million rural residents and businesses, broadband service for almost 40,000 residents, improved water supplies for 340,000 residents, and grants and loans helping more than 80 rural businesses provide more than 2,400 jobs.Vilsack’s current travels don’t include a stop in Kansas, but he said he planned to visit Manhattan later in the year. Comparable figures for Kansas projects the past three years using Agriculture Department financing weren’t available.Read more Business
Posted on Fri, Jan. 27, 2012 10:44 PM
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Agriculture secretary touts Missouri’s growth
Tom Vilsack
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