FoodHub's Deborah Kane has been invited to The White House next week to represent the interests of rural agriculture in the FoodHub region at a roundtable discussion hosted by the newly established White House Rural Council. The mission of the Rural Council is to “promote economic prosperity and quality of life in rural America” and will focus on job creation and economic development by increasing the flow of capital to rural areas and promoting innovation. FoodHub is asking the question, what do you want Deborah Kane to tell The White House? To share your thoughts and work, complete this two-question survey. Kane will summarize input from the survey to present as possible solutions to meet the challenges facing rural America.

Community leaders, experts on rural development, and many others gathered in Corvallis last weekend at RDI's Regards to Rural conference for two days dedicated to creating economically and socially vibrant rural communities. This got OPB's Think Out Loud radio show wondering, do rural economies develop differently than urban ones? Think Out Loud addressed this question on a segment regarding the challenges and opportunities of economic development and job creation in rural communities. You can listen to the program in its entirety on OPB's web site.

RDI knows there is POWER in rural! Our challenge to you: Do one thing to help your community, one act, big or small, that will improve your community. Share what you did on our Powered by Rural Facebook page, and challenge two more people to do the same!