Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (left) composes an answer, that will be posted for him, by New Media Content Specialist Rebecca Frank (center) and Deputy Press Secretary Stephanie Chan (right) and other staff, before hosting a live and online Virtual Office Hours session on Twitter, in Washington, D.C. on, Monday, December, 17, 2012. Online questions about the important role of rural America to the national and global economy, increasing agricultural opportunities in U.S. communities, and the importance of passing a five-year Farm Bill are addressed during this live Twitter chat. Some of the responses address food and nutrition, agricultural research, urban agriculture, bio-based products and how rural communities can get more involved in rural policy, to name a few. Questions were submitted live and in advance to the @USDA Twitter account using the hashtag #AskUSDA. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.
<p><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/41284017@N08">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>
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Lance Cheung/Photographer
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/8281731245/">20121217-OSEC-LSC-0001</a>