In signals of the complicated politics surrounding President Barack Obama’s decision to reject the application for construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline through Nebraska, the Obama-Biden campaign sent supporters an email promoting the decision, while Heidi Heidtkamp, the Democratic candidate to replace retiring Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., sent Obama a letter asking him to reverse the decision. Read More...

FFA, formerly Future Farmers of America, has risen to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s challenge to tell him what’s needed in the next farm bill, as he encourages 100,000 young people to become farmers in the next few years. Read More...

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., announced today that he and a bipartisan group of 23 other senators from rural states have called on the Federal Communications Commission to address excessive substandard phone service in North Dakota and throughout the most rural regions of the country. Read More...

In an act that could have implications for the rural economy, President Barack Obama today signed an executive order and announced new initiatives to increase travel and tourism in the United States. Read More...

In a series of events that could be considered related to President Barack Obama’s campaign for re-election, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack traveled to Chicago on Monday to talk civil rights and promote biofuels, and continued on to St. Paul today to unveil a conservation program while the USDA released a report on rural development. Read More...