Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - NY 'Travelers' Hit Campaign Trail Touting Clinton's Rural and Agriculture Record

Campbellsville, KY – Urging rural Kentucky voters to support the presidential candidate who can best expand opportunities for agriculture and rural America, a pair of New York 'travelers' set out across the Bluegrass State this week to promote the success of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) rural and agricultural initiatives in New York State.

The travelers, made up of a New York dairy farmer, another former dairywoman and creamery owner and the Senator's Ag Policy Adviser, plan to reach out to farmers and rural residents. They will be making stops in Kentucky to promote Clinton's positive impact on New York agriculture and it's small communities.

"Hillary has a proven record of creating and promoting programs that help farmers and rural communities, "said Ed King, a dairy farmer from Saratoga County, a rural area in northern New York. "She knows the importance of the agriculture industry in maintaining a strong economy, and the key role that small towns and rural communities play in America."

"Senator Clinton's support has allowed Mercer's dairy to grow, add jobs, completely make over an aging facility, and keep eight dairy farmers in agriculture. This makes our agribusiness infrastructure strong and vibrant," said Hurlburt. "The efforts of Senator Clinton and her staff have enabled a small business like mine to become a pioneer in a large industry segment."

Ed King is the senior member of the King's Ransom Farm in Saratoga County, NY. It is a dairy and Holstein breeding family farm that sells to domestic and international markets. King also served 11 years as the Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture in New York State.

Roxaina Hurlburt is partner with seven other dairy farmers in Mercer's Diary in Boonville, N.Y. She credits Senator Clinton with helping to rescue her failing dairy by connecting Hurlburt with cooperative extensions in upstate New York and showcasing Mercer's products at her "New York Farm Day" on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Clinton was also instrumental in Mercer's connecting with government agencies to acquire needed federal and state licenses. These advocates are part of a larger "Travelers for Hillary" group made up of more than 100 farmers, rural and economic developers from upstate New York. The group has already toured states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina, on behalf of Clinton.

Hillary is committed to expanding opportunities for rural communities and small towns in America. As a Senator, she has fought hard to maintain programs in resource conservation, economic development and agriculture that are vital to the environmental and economic health of family farms. From her creation of rural trading cooperatives (e-commerce initiatives), to her Farm-to-Fork initiative, to her efforts to create better access to credit and capital for business entrepreneurs, to her support for broadband in all rural areas, and her efforts to keep VA facilities open, Hillary is dedicated to helping small towns and rural communities thrive.

For more information, please log on to www.hillaryclinton.com.

• Hillary Clinton's Commitment to Rural America Hillary Clinton has an understanding of rural areas by having:

• A passion for agriculture and by seeing a strong progressive rural economy as critical to a healthy national economy.
• A vision that so many of America's challenges today, from global warming to unsafe food imports, and energy independence, can be addressed through rural America.

• Hillary Clinton has lead on rural issues in the Senate, such as:

• Rural Economic Development – The Rural RISE ACT (S. 1034) - this is a massive rural economic development package aimed at streamlining federal funding, enhancing the funding used and integrating multiple rural resources in building new opportunities for rural economic development. Includes various other incentives for professionals to work and live in rural areas.
• Rural Broadband Expansion – The Rural Broadband Initiative Act (S. 1032) - expanded policies to get broadband to all corners of our country. It stress the need for greater focus, accountability and research funding towards getting the internet to everyone, because Hillary believes that is a key to expanding opportunities and allowing more people to remain in rural areas.
• Expanding Healthy Foods, While Expanding Markets –Her FOOD for a Healthy America Act (S. 1432) – A number of nutrition and healthy food federal program enhancements to expand the marketing of healthy food (specialty crops specifically). This includes national expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program (in schools), Community Food Projects, and a new program called the Healthy Food Enterprise Development program to tackle various hurdles for farmers in marketing their products.
• Advocating and pushing for mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)
• Issues where the Bush Administration have lacked in helping family farms, whether it involves weather related disaster relief or the closing of local USDA offices. (S. 1821)

• Hillary Clinton has a "Vision for Rural America" that includes:

• Creating fair and competitive markets for ALL farmers
• Expanding markets of farmers to reach underserved areas of our country with healthy foods and giving farmers the chance to get a good price from the market
• Ensuring that trade agreements don't leave our hardest workers behind
• Expanding our renewable energy industry as a job creator and reducing foreign energy dependence
• Expanding economic opportunities for rural areas through creative solutions
• Getting broadband to every corner of this country creating ways for small businesses, telemedicine and distance learning to enhance rural life
• Tackling so many of the recruitment, access and cost issues relating to health care and education in this country, by making sure we target rural areas

• The difference with Hillary Clinton is that she's done so much of this for upstate/rural New York. She has:
• Created, promoted and expanded markets for farmers of all forms
• Established innovative ways to address needs for new job and economic opportunities
• Ensured that rural New York had a Senator that truly listened and acted on their behalf