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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue meets with John Deere President of the Ag Division Jim Field, Director of Governmental Relations, JB Penn, Government Affairs Director Jason Francque and a local agricultural leader, at the John Deere Pavilion, in Moline, IL, on Aug. 6, 2017, in Davenport, IA. His stop here is part of a five-state RV tour, featuring stops in five states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana; titled the âBack to Our Rootsâ Tour, he is gathering input on the 2018 Farm Bill and increasing rural prosperity, Aug. 3-8, 2017. Along the way, Perdue will meet with farmers, ranchers, foresters, producers, students, governors, Members of Congress, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees, and other stakeholders. This is the first of two RV tours the secretary will undertake this summer. âThe âBack to our Rootsâ Farm Bill and rural prosperity RV listening tour will allow us to hear directly from people in agriculture across the country, as well as our consumers â they are the ones on the front lines of American agriculture and they know best what the current issues are,â Perdue said. âUSDA will be intimately involved as Congress deliberates and formulates the 2018 Farm Bill. We are committed to making the resources and the research available so that Congress can make good facts-based, data-driven decisions. Itâs important to look at past practices to see what has worked and what has not worked, so that we create a farm bill for the future that will be embraced by American agriculture in 2018.â For social media purposes, Secretary Perdueâs Twitter account (@SecretarySonny) will be using the hashtag #BackToOurRoots. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.