The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports…

President Joe Biden kicked off a tour of rural America at a hog farm just north of Northfield on Wednesday, seeking support for his agenda in parts of the country where his party has increasingly struggled for votes.

“When rural America does well, when Indian country does well, we all do well,” Biden said, speaking in a chilly machine shed in front of a large American flag at Dutch Creek Farms in rural Dakota County. …

The billed reason for Wednesday’s trip was to spotlight farmers who are leaning on $5 billion in recent federal spending to improve sustainability and offer producers a competitive leg up in new markets.

“The money is there to help farmers and ranchers tackle the climate crisis through climate smart agriculture and cover crops,” Biden said.

There seemed to be some recognition that broadband is needed for smart agriculture…

Prior to Biden’s address, farmers, ag industry leaders and rural development officials mingled in the shed, discussing the federal spending that ranges from broadband expansion to increasing the number of small and medium-sized meat-processing plants to so-called “green” farming practices, such as no-till and cover-cropping.