Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Joins Agriculture Leaders in Europe to Look at Rural Development

On July 7, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) President Kent Peppler joined 27 other American agricultural leaders for a tour of Belgium, Germany, and France that will showcase rural development, conservation, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture in the European Union (EU). The tour is sponsored by the German Marshall Fund of the United States and RUPRI (the Rural Policy Institute at the University of Missouri).

The delegation, which includes National Farmers Union President Tom Buis, USDA Undersecretary of Rural Development Thomas Dorr, and representatives of national and regional agricultural groups from across the country, convened Monday, July 7, in Brussels, Belgium. Their schedule includes meetings with journalists, EU officials, and representatives of many innovative agricultural programs. They will be touring nature reserves in the Ardennes, the Morbach energy park housing solar, biofuel, and wind installations, the major grain-handling port of Metz, a French cooperative community, and many other rural development projects.

“The EU has been a leader in responding to climate change and promoting sustainable agriculture,” Peppler said. “I’m looking forward to seeing their renewable energy programs at work and learning more about their plans for the future of rural community life in Europe.”