My friends, history, history calls us to this time and to this place. A solemn choice rests with us - where do we go from here? Do we move slowly and incrementally? Or do we seize the challenge of our time and tackle the great issues of our day.

More than half of America's rural counties are losing population and with it, political representation.

I grew up in a city. My parents would think there was something wrong with America if they knew I was secretary of agriculture.

At President Obama's direction, the U.S Department of Agriculture is working hard to unleash the power of America's innovators and entrepreneurs to build a green energy economy.

The lack of access to proper nutrition is not only fueling obesity, it is leading to food insecurity and hunger among our children.

We should also challenge this country to come up with strategies and technologies that allow us to produce nuclear energy without necessarily producing a byproduct that can be converted to something far more dangerous. I believe that can be done. It may not be done tomorrow, but it clearly needs to be worked on.

Many young and beginning farmers start out in local markets. Some stay there, and some scale up.