Electric Co-op Today

ORLANDO, Fla.—Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told rural electric co-op officials that they need to play a role in a broad coalition to impress policymakers and opinion leaders about the importance of sustaining rural America.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaks at the NRECA annual meeting. (Photo By: Luis Gomez Photos)

“We need to speak with a single common voice to the entire country so that they understand and appreciate that it’s more than cities; it is rural America that makes this country unique,” Vilsack said in a March 7 keynote address to the 69th NRECA Annual Meeting.

The first agriculture secretary to speak at the annual meeting in recent times, Vilsack outlined the Obama administration’s four-point agenda to enhance rural communities through initiatives such as ramped-up biofuels production and access to high-speed Internet.

Those projects are important to the survival of an estimated 600,000 midsized farms, Vilsack said. But they also will provide jobs that attract people to rural areas, creating a population bump that could lead to more representation in Congress and state legislatures.

In an interview after his speech, Vilsack expanded on his theme, saying groups like NRECA, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, and various producers associations can bring about more change in rural America by uniting behind one front.

“What I hope to be able to do is to raise the consciousness of the contribution rural America makes to the rest of the country, so in turn they will understand why it’s important to have a partnership with an REC, and why it’s important to provide resources for RECs to be able to upgrade and expand their facilities.”

During his speech, Vilsack announced the Agriculture Department will provide $442 million to co-ops in eight states through the Rural Utilities Service to maintain, upgrade and expand service to more than 24,000 members. Some $9 million is dedicated to smart grid and automated metering infrastructure, he said.

Co-op leaders were delighted by the department’s high-level participation at the meeting. In addition to Vilsack’s presence, Dallas Tonsager, undersecretary for rural development, and RUS Administrator Jonathan Adelstein met March 6 with co-op and G&T representatives to discuss some of their concerns.

“I know that each and every one of us has a special place in our heart for the tremendous jobs the USDA employees have been doing for electric cooperatives throughout this country and rural America in general,” said NRECA CEO Glenn English.

Tags: 2011 Annual Meeting, Department of Agriculture, Energy and Environment, Rural Utilities Service