Throwing Small Town Iowa a Lifeline
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
As this session of the Iowa legislature and Congress gets fully underway, this may be the best opportunity in years for real economic development in rural Iowa. With both the Iowa legislature and Congress under new management, Dan Owens with the Center for Rural Affairs says this a ripe opportunity for needed changes, including caps on subsidies for mega-farms and investments in rural development.
"Programs like micro-enterprise, value-added producer grants and other rural development issues that could really help rural America and rural Iowa."
Owens says the migration from rural Iowa to urban communities is not a good economic development strategy. He points out that rural Iowans do not have to leave their hometowns to find economic opportunities.
"There are really proven strategies out there in rural economic development that keep people in rural communities and help them thrive."
Owens believes limiting subsidies to huge farming operations is the key, as it would keep them from squeezing small operations out. He explains that has a domino effect, with smaller farms boosting demand for goods and services, which would allow rural businesses to create more jobs.
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