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GOP Ticket Chooses Team of Advisors for Rural Issues

McCain-Palin 2008 on Tuesday announced the leadership of the McCain-Palin Farm & Ranch Team and released a statement on John McCain's agriculture and rural philosophy.

John McCain identified the following as key issues facing agriculture and rural America:

• Establishing a comprehensive energy strategy
• Controlling taxation and regulation
• Judicial restraint and preserving property rights  
• Providing a sustainable, market-driven risk management system for farmers
• Promoting agricultural markets and reducing trade barriers
• Improving incentives to invest in technology and rural infrastructure
• Encouraging common-sense conservation and food safety measures
• Securing America's borders and implementing a fair and practical immigration policy
• Recognizing the role of agriculture in national security
• Strengthen America's economic competitiveness by eliminating wasteful government spending

The McCain-Palin 2008 Farm & Ranch Team National Steering Committee includes:

• Co-Chairs: former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture John Block, Ill.; U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, Kan.; U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Ga.; U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Va.; U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, S.C.: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa; Mo. farmer Charlie Kruse; former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture James Moseley, Ind.; U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, Fla.
• Steering Committee Members: North Dakota Farm Bureau Eric Aasmundstad; former Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture and State Sen. Don Ament; Louisiana Farm Bureau President Ronnie Anderson; Washington Farm Bureau President Steve Appel; Armstrong Farms owner Jay Armstrong, Kan.; Mo. Gov. Matt Blunt; U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, Mo.; U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, Mo.; Kan. Farm Bureau President Steve Baccus; Georgia Agribusiness Council President Gary Black; Fla. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson; Kan. Livestock Association President Tracy Brunner; Oregon Farm Bureau President Barry Bushue; U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, Miss.; U.S. Sugar Corp. Senior Vice-president Robert Coker, Fla.; Nevada Farm Bureau President James "Hank•bCrLf Combs; U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, Idaho; Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels; Pennsylvania farmer Keith Eckel; U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, Mo.;  Michigan State Rep. Judy Emmons; U.S. Sen. John Ensign, Nev.; Fla. Crystals Corp. Executive Vice-president Pepe Fanjul, Jr.; U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, Ariz.; Colorado Farm Bureau President Alan Foutz; U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, N.C.: U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, Mo.; Harris Farms Chairman and CEO John C. Harris, Calif.; former Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Jim Harsdorf ; Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman; former Delta Pine President & CEO W. Thomas Jagodinski, Tenn.; former National Cattleman's Beef Association President Mike John, Mo.; U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, Ill.; Pacific Ethanol Chairman William L. Jones, Calif.; Orange County Produce founding partner A.G. Kawamura, Calif.; Iowa farmer Lindsey Larson; Lasseter Tractor Company CEO Willard Lasseter, Ga.; U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, Iowa; U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, Ohio; Lynch Livestock President and CEO Gary Lynch; former National Cattlemen's Beef Association President Jan Lyons, Kan.; New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Patrick H. Lyons; former New Hampshire Farm Bureau President Wayne Mann; California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar; U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, Colo.; Western Growers Association President and CEO Thomas Nassif; Minnesota Farm Bureau President Kevin Paap: U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, Pa.; National Steering Committee Co-Chair William Richards, Ohio; U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, Kan.; Arizona Farm Bureau Federation President Kevin Rogers; U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, Wis.; U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, Neb.; Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples; North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler; South Dakota Farm Bureau President Scott VanderWal; CropLife America President and CEO Jay Vroom; former Pennsylvania State Sen. Noah Wegner; New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau President Michael White; Indiana farmer Mike Yoder.

Members of the McCain-Palin Farm & Ranch National Steering Committee are endorsing as private citizens and are not acting in an official capacity for their respective organizations.