Obama Rural Bus Tour Today: Minnesota, Iowa

Iowa town hall held at huge heirloom seed bank...

President Obama flies this morning from Washington to St. Paul, Minnesota to begin his three-day rural bus tour. The trip builds off the new White House report "Jobs and Economic Security For Rural America," and President Obama's first stop is a town hall meeting in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. He will speak at Hannah's Bend Park at 12:05 PM CT. After, the President will travel to Decorah, Iowa to host a 5:15 PM CT town hall at Seed Savers Exchange, one of the largest seed banks in North America. Livestreams will be at wh.gov/live.



During his trip, the President will make announcements involving credit, investment and renewable fuels that will have implications nationwide, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters.



Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 to "save North America's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity." It is an 850-acre farm that preserves over 25,000 endangered vegetables including heirloom seeds.



The President will spend the night in Decorah. On Tuesday, he will attend a Rural Economic Forum in Peosta, Iowa at Northeast Iowa Community College. On Wednesday, he will host two town halls in Atkinson and Alpha, Ill., before he returns to Washington.



*Photo by Pete Souza/White House