The executive director of the Center for Rural Affairs says the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” has grown in the Midwest. Chuck Hassebrook says the economic disparity between urban and rural areas has grown much greater in recent years. But Hassebrook says rural areas can get some help in the new Farm Bill. For example, a quarter of a billion dollars is available for value-added agriculture projects. Hassebrook says farmers can form cooperatives to market organic meats which yield a premium price in the marketplace or build a processing plant. Hassebrook made his comments on Iowa Public Television.
