McCain at the Iowa State Fair

Republican presidential candidate John McCain visited the heart of the corn belt Friday, ate a pork chop on a stick and talked about increasing trade opportunities for agriculture.

During a speech at the Iowa State Fair, McCain promised to open markets for agricultural products. “There’s $150 to be made for every hog that’s raised and pig that’s raised in this state. $30 of those $150 is exports that are sent to markets around the world. If we approve of a free trade agreement between the United States of America and South Korea, that will be 10 more dollars,” McCain said. “The agricultural products here in the state of Iowa can feed the world. And we’re not afraid to compete with anybody in the world, my friends.”

McCain also talked about the need for energy independence and promoted his Lexington Project plan for energy security, which includes wind, tide, solar, nuclear, and renewable fuels.

However, he was very clear about his position when it came to ethanol. “And I want to tell you, we will disagree from time to time. I believe in renewable fuels. I don’t believe in ethanol subsidies, but I believe in renewable fuels. I believe we have to do all of those things to restore our economy.”

Gotta give him credit for his courage and honesty on the issue in the middle of the country’s biggest ethanol producing state, standing next to the state commissioner of agriculture and Farm Bureau president. Nobody threw a corn dog at him.