USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager and other national, state and local-level policymakers will join rural residents at the Midwest Rural Assembly in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, August 10-11. The Assembly will focus on rural economic and community development issues and opportunities, and will give rural residents a chance to speak directly with policymakers about rural policy priorities.

 

"This is a great opportunity for rural residents throughout the Midwest to connect with each other, with their elected officials, and make their voices heard," said Jim Kleinschmit, director of the Rural Communities program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).  IATP, the National Rural Assembly, the Rural Learning Center in Howard, South Dakota, and more than 20 other organizations from around the Midwest are hosting this two-day event, which will also feature Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Nebraska State Rural Development Director Maxine Moul, Nominated South Dakota State Rural Development Director Elsie Meeks, and Minnesota State Rural Development Director Colleen Landkamer.