Rural America does matter … even if some politicians and big city folks may not think so.

     United States Department of Agriculture chief Tom Vilsack last week sounded what should be a wake-up call to public officials and those who make their living off the land. During an agriculture forum, Vilsack called for “an adult conversation” with a different thought process by those who live in rural America.

     As the population shifts more toward cities and urban areas, Vilsack said rural America’s major contributions to society – food supply, recreational areas and energy, among others – are being overlooked. Further, its shrinking population is making rural America “less relevant” on the political scene.

     Vilsack’s words should be of concern not only to predominantly rural areas like Mississippi and the South, but also to the nation as a whole.

     The sad truth that some school children have no clue where milk comes is troubling. Education on the importance of the nation’s food supply is the answer.

     Of more regional importance, the wood that goes into building homes and creating the furniture that fills them has to come from somewhere. For many, that place is Southwest Mississippi.

     The energy needs that Vilsack speaks of are also addressed in large part by rural America.

     The Grand Gulf plant in nearby Port Gibson, for example, helps provide electricity for Mississippi and several surrounding states. In addition, developments in the oil industry have provided the means to make use of previously untapped resources, spurring a recent economic boom in some parts of Southwest Mississippi.

     Our state’s leaders also are exploring additional avenues – water, solar, biofuels and others – where we can be a player in the energy game.

     One hurdle that rural America must overcome is the aging population of many of its members. Vilsack sees the answer in a proactive message that encourages future generations to work the land for the nation’s good.

     “How are you going to encourage young people to want to be involved in rural America or farming if you don’t have a proactive message? Because you are competing against the world now,” Vilsack said.

     He’s right.

     America was founded by people who carved out a living by working the land under their feet. Their hard work, along with the innovative spirit of some of their more inventive brethren, set this nation on the path to becoming the greatest in the world.

     Those of us who live and work in Southwest Mississippi know full well rural America’s value to this nation’s past, present and future. It’s time the rest of the country does too.