FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2007

CONTACT:
Dan Leistikow
 

Atlantic, Iowa – During a community meeting in Atlantic today, widely respected Iowa agriculture leader and 2006 Democratic nominee for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Denise O’Brien endorsed John Edwards.

“Senator Edwards comes from rural America and obviously hasn’t forgotten where he came from,” O’Brien said.  “I am endorsing him because of his strong support for family farmers and his willingness to take on corporate agribusiness.  He has outlined a bold plan to reinvest in rural towns and communities, bring in new jobs and ensure that hard working family farmers can earn a decent living.”

“Denise O’Brien is a strong advocate for the needs of Iowa family farmers and rural communities, and I am honored to have her support,” Senator Edwards said.  “She shares my commitment to revitalizing rural America and will be a great asset to our campaign.”

O’Brien won the 2006 Democratic nomination for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.  She is an organic farmer and well-known progressive political activist.  She is also the co-founder and coordinator of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network.  A past-president of the National Family Farm Coalition, she has advocated for the concerns of farm families and rural communities on international, national, state, regional and local levels. In 1997, she spoke before the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the world’s farmers. Her efforts have aided the establishment of many organizations, including Rural Advocacy 2000, Iowa Fair Trade Watch, the Women’s Task Force of the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition and Progressive Prairie Alliance. O’Brien is a member of the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

In her endorsement, Denise O’Brien cited Senator Edwards’ broad agenda to promote family farms and rural communities, including:

• Passing a national ban on packer ownership to stop the spread of large corporate hog interests.
• Passing a national moratorium on the construction and expansion of hog farm lagoons.
• Limiting farm subsidies to $250,000 per person and closing loopholes in payment limits so that these payments are targeted to family farmers and not big corporate agribusiness.
• Implementing country-of-origin labeling so families can learn the source of their food and have the option of choosing domestically raised and grown food.