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League of Rural Voters announces national summit on agriculture and rural life (Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2003 -- CropChoice news) -- From a news release: Contact: Niel Ritchie, (612) 270-0276, nritchie@tcq.net Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 27, 2003 - The first ever National Summit on Agriculture and Rural Life will be held on November 15, 2003 at the Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines, Iowa. The League of Rural Voters and a host of other rural advocacy groups have organized a daylong Summit to showcase new and necessary directions in rural economic policy. The Summit will focus on new directions in rural economic policy and will culminate in a plenary session where Democratic Presidential Candidates will discuss their plans to address the economic devastation that has impacted rural Americans for decades. "The Iowa caucuses give candidates an unprecedented opportunity to understand the impacts of federal policy on our communities," said League of Rural Voters Executive Director, Niel Ritchie. "The National Summit on Agriculture and Rural Life, by bringing together some of the strongest voices for new directions in rural policy, will give Iowans a stronger hand in shaping our national policy." From 9:00a.m. to noon, the Summit program will feature plenary sessions and workshops centered on important issues like rural economic development, U.S. agriculture policy, trade policy, environmental policy and community revitalization. In the afternoon, from 1:00 to 3:30, Democratic Presidential Candidates who are campaigning in Iowa will each be given a chance to address these critical issues and field a few questions from the audience. Keynote and invited speakers include: U.S. Senator Tom Harkin Mark Ritchie, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Daryll Ray, University of Tennessee/APAC Mike Duffy, ISU/Leopold Center George Naylor, Iowa CCI/National Family Farm Coalition Chuck Fluharty, Rural Policy Research Institute Lisa Davis-Cook, Iowa Citizen Action Network David Osterberg, Iowa Policy Project Ralph Paige, Federation of Southern Cooperatives Rep. Richard Gephardt, Presidential Candidate Senator John Kerry, Presidential Candidate Governor Howard Dean, Presidential Candidate Senator John Edwards, Presidential Candidate General Wesley Clark, Presidential Candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Presidential Candidate Reverend Al Sharpton, Presidential Candidate Carol Moseley Braun, Presidential Candidate The National Summit on Agriculture and Rural Life is open the public. To view the agenda or register for the National Summit on Agriculture and Rural Life, please visit: http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org **Reporters and other media representatives should register if they plan to eat lunch at the Summit.