I think the football coaches for Iowa and Iowa State would tell you they are some of the luckiest people in the world to have the job they have, ... Win, lose or draw, I'm sure they believe it's a great life. And that's how I feel about my job.

And sometimes people don't realize that 90 percent of the persistent poverty counties are located in rural America.

Rural Americans want leaders who help middle-class communities to plan and prosper over the long-term - not opportunists who reap the rewards for themselves, leaving nothing for the people who do the sowing.

I wish I could give you all the examples over the last two years as secretary of agriculture, where I hear people in rural America constantly being criticized, without any expression of appreciation for what they do do.

If you think of what food is, it's the energy we use to do our daily work. I want people to know about the USDA. This is a very important department. It's not fully appreciated as such.

President Obama has expressed his commitment to responsible stewardship of our land, water, and other natural resources. And one way of restoring the land to its natural condition is what we are doing here today - breaking pavement for the People's Garden.