Vilsack helps Rural TV make its official start

Rural TV, "billed as television for a growing world," went on the air in January, but it was a soft launch, not heavily promoted. To help kick off the station's official start, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack conducted a town hall meeting last night in the Nashville RFD-TV studio.

Vilsack gave his perspectives on rural development, biofuels and the farm bill, DTN Progressive Farmer Agriculture Editor Chris Clayton reports. Vilsack challenged Congress to "think boldly" on the farm bill, and answered a Tennessee State University student's question about USDA Rural Development programs by saying that 40 different programs aren't needed. He said the programs should be flexible and change for specific regions, placing emphasis on outcome of jobs and development, Clayton reports.

Daytime programming covers "the business of rural America and the rural world," said Patrick Gottsch, founder and president of the network's parent company, Rural Media Group, best known for RFD-TV. He said it could be compared to CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business News, but focusing on commodity markets. Rural TV's daily programming starts at 9 a.m. with "Market Day Report," followed by five hours of live coverage of agribusiness news, weather reports and commodity markets updated every 30 minutes. Broadcasts of auctions of cattle, horses, farm equipment and rural real estate will take up the evenings, and "Rural Evening News" will end the prime-time lineup. News bureaus in Washington, Chicago, Brazil and the United Kingdom are primary news sources. (Read more)