I don't care what anybody says: Nothing is better than a tomato you grow. There's something about it that's different than a tomato you can buy. It's a great thing.

Today, President Obama is making smart investments in clean energy – wind, solar, biofuels – as part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy that supports thousands of jobs, not in the Middle East, but in the Midwest.

To amplify our efforts, USDA is joining with First Lady Michelle Obama in aggressively promoting the ‘Let’s Move’ campaign, which will combat the epidemic of childhood obesity through a comprehensive approach that builds on effective strategies, and mobilizes public and private sector resources.

Democrats have always historically referred to our families as working families, and I have sort of changed that moniker. I think what we have is a nation of worried families – families that are concerned about job security, families who thought their pensions were secure and now have questions.

If we truly want an innovative and creative renewable fuel industry, then it needs to be challenged. And if we create a set of protections that allow it to not be as creative and innovative as possible, then we aren’t doing a service to the industry or to the people of this country.

But It doesn’t make sense for us to have a continued reliance on a supply of oil where whenever there is unrest in another part of the world, gasoline prices jump up. We need a renewable fuel industry that’s more than corn-based, of course, and there are a whole series of great opportunities here.

We have a long tradition in this state of caring for our neighbors – it is truly an Iowa value.

It’s how you make decisions that matters, and that ought to be the question that people ask of any candidate for any executive office, whether it’s mayor, governor or president. How do you make decisions? Who do you want in the room helping you make those decisions?

The food pyramid is very complicated. It doesn’t give you as much info in a quick glance as the plate does.

My friends, history, history calls us to this time and to this place. A solemn choice rests with us – where do we go from here? Do we move slowly and incrementally? Or do we seize the challenge of our time and tackle the great issues of our day.