Clinton in Iowa unveils plan for ag, rural communities

ANKENY - With a prominent Iowa Democrat at her side, Hillary Clinton said she wants to invest in agriculture, rural communities and clean energy.

Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president, outlined her plan for rural America on Wednesday at Des Moines Area Community College during a one-day trip to the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

'I wanted to emphasize the changing face of rural Iowa and rural America: education, innovation, technology,” Clinton said. 'Iowans are in the future business. That's what all Americans should be in.”

Roughly 200 people attended the event, organizers said.

Clinton was joined by U.S. Agriculture Secretary and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who this week endorsed Clinton's campaign.

Clinton's plan for agriculture and rural communities includes investing in federal agriculture and small business programs, promoting clean and renewable energy programs and achieving comprehensive immigration reform.

Clinton's plan stresses four main points:

' Spur investment in the rural economy by creating a national infrastructure bank, funding programs designed help small, rural businesses and simplifying regulations on small banks.

' Increase agriculture production and profitability by increasing funding for programs designed to help aspiring farmers, ensuring strong federal crop insurance programs and achieving comprehensive immigration reform for immigrant agriculture workers.

' Promote clean energy and environmental stewardship by strengthening the federal mandate for the amount of corn-based ethanol in the nation's fuel supply and funding programs that encourage farmers to use conservation practices and provide loans for bio-processing plants.

' Expand opportunities for rural residents by expanding tele-health programs to improve health care access, ensuring access to substance abuse prevention and treatment programs and investing in early childhood education and programs designed to lower the cost of college and reduce student debt.

A summary of the proposals distributed by the Clinton campaign does not list a cost for the programs or how they would be funded.

'I believe a strong America depends on strong rural communities,” Clinton said. 'It has to take root right here in Iowa and in small towns and rural areas around the country.”

Roughly 36 percent of Iowa's population is rural, according to Census data.

Clinton, the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state, has held a commanding lead over her fellow Democrats in most polls on the race. A recent Suffolk University Poll in Iowa showed Clinton with a 34-point lead over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Vilsack, who is revered by Iowa Democrats, also endorsed Clinton in 2007. He joins another popular Iowa Democrat, former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, in endorsing Clinton this year.

'This is something you need to know about her: She is loyal. She is incredibly loyal,” Vilsack said. 'This is a woman who will listen to us, who will fight for us, who will make sure that we win this election. And when she does, she will deliver for us. She will make us proud.”

Clinton's political opponents on Wednesday highlighted her previous opposition to the ethanol mandate while in the Senate, as well as her use of a private email server while she served as secretary of state.

'Hillary Clinton clearly doesn't trust Iowa farmers to care for their own land, which explains the top-down, bureaucratic programs she proposed today,” Iowa Rep. Jarad Klein, R-Keota, a member of the Iowa House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement published by the Republican Party of Iowa. 'This plan sounds like it was written by Clinton's D.C. advisers - who think food comes from the grocery store - rather than people with any real understanding of agriculture.

'Let's remove regulations, reduce burdens, and reign in overzealous bureaucrats, rather than layer more top-down programs on Iowa farmers. That's how you truly help farmers and rural communities succeed in America.”