Obama officials want to hear from rural communities
Zigzagging across the country from state to state, two top officials in the Obama administration are on tour to hear rural America’s concerns. Their next stop: Pittsylvania County.
ABOUT THE TOUR
• WHAT: USDA Rural Tour with U.S. secretaries of agriculture and energy
• WHEN: 1 p.m. Saturday
• WHERE: Buddy Mayhew’s far, 1501 Carter Lodge Road, Blairs
• DIRECTIONS: From Danville: Take U.S. 29 north. Turn right onto Spring Garden Road/Route 640 and go 1.7 miles. Turn left onto Carter Lodge Road/Route 825 and go 0.2 miles to the farm; from Chatham: At the top of White Oak Mountain, turn left onto Carter Lodge Road and go 1.4 miles to the farm.
• ONLINE: www.ruraltour.gov
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Energy Secretary Steven Chu will be at Buddy Mayhew’s farm in Blairs on Saturday afternoon for a forum with local residents to discuss how the United States Department of Agriculture can help with challenges facing the community.
According to a USDA news release, Vilsack and Chu will share information with local residents about the work the Obama Administration is doing to revitalize and rebuild rural America and will focus on weatherization and carbon sequestration. The Rural Tour began in May and to date, Blairs is the only scheduled stop for Virginia.
Also in attendance will be Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th District; Delegate Danny Marshall, R-14th District; and Seward Anderson, Marshall’s Democratic opponent, among other local officials. Perriello will present the secretaries with a copy of his blueprint for putting the 5th District “on the forefront of clean energy.”
“I want to see if there is something that I can learn that would help us here in Southside Virginia,” said Marshall, who serves on the Tobacco Commission. “The whole idea of the commission’s goal is to keep farmers farming.”
Last year, the Tobacco Commission granted $8 million to the Institute for Advanced Research & Learning for non-food crop research for biofuel production. Marshall said the ultimate goal for the region is to cultivate a crop locally that, in turn, produces biofuel locally.
“We want to see that money (for crops) that are grown here produces fuel here,” he said, “and all that money stays here.”
Green energy is a multi-faceted initiative, and in addition to supporting new forms of agribusiness, Anderson said he remained committed to a clean coal initiative.
“Virginia gets almost half our energy from coal and there is research being done right now at Tech and other places on providing cleaner coal for energy,” Anderson said. “This has to be a part of our future. Energy will be the next economic driver for Virginia. We can’t let the Southside be left behind.”
The event Saturday is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.ruraltour.gov or follow the tour on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/RuralTour.
Contact Amos at or (434) 791-7983.
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Reader Reactions
Perriello would walk through a cow pature looking up.
I have no doubt Mr. Mayhew is a fine gentleman but the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy and a US Congressman don’t just pick a certain place to show up at the same time for no reason…and on a Saturday!
DanHoodVirginia - Buddy Mayhew is a retired school teacher - he used to teach Mechanics at Chatham High School and the Pittsylvanica County Votech School. He was also a well known tobacco farmer in the Spring Garden community and is noted for his private airstrip and flying his airplanes around the area.
I don’t know how he came to be the person that’s hosting this meeting. The only other politics I’m aware of involving him is he hosted a fund raiser for Delegate Robert Hurt some years ago.
I’m not supportive of Obama’s cap-and-trade and I don’t personally believe in global warming. I think all this talk about creating green jobs is just that, a bunch of cheap talk from folks looking for votes and/or political support.
However, having said all that, I’ll vouch for Mayhew. I know him. He’s a good man.
Nah, I don’t think they really want to hear what people in rural communities have to say. I don’t think they would like it very much.
Who are you kidding? Perriello can be anywhere he so choses. But maybe he’s up there actually reading a bill for a change.
According to the Congressional Calendar, Congress is in session today. Therefore, Mr. Perriello physically can’t be in Danville today. Please do your research before you criticize.
RE: Directions to farm…Perriello can find his way to this farm but couldn’t find his way to his office in Danville today to talk to the folks protesting his votes and support of the government take over of healthcare.
Who is this Buddy Mayhew character? I sure as heck wouldn’t let any of these politcal trash on my land.
Dear Mr. Obama,
I can provide proof of my citizenship, why can’t you do the same?
Save the Drama for Obama!!!
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