President Barack Obama reached out to the farm media this week to promote his administration’s National Rural Tour.

Doing the honors of interviewing the president on behalf of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting was past president Michelle Rook of WNAX, Yankton, SD. Michelle was able to ask Obama about several agricultural issues in the ten minute interview, including renewable fuels, the climate change bill, whether farmers should be concerned about increasing regulations, and how the government might be able to help the livestock industry.

Vice President Joe Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genakowski kicked off the “rural road trip” today in Pennsylvania, announcing $4 billion in loans and grants to bring broadband internet service to rural communities. Other stops are planned in Alaska, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. USDA has even launched a Rural Tour website and a Twitter feed for the tour.

Listen to Michelle’s interview with Obama here: