ALLEMAN — In his last run of campaign stops before accepting the Republican nomination in New York, President Bush made a visit to the Farm Progress Show here Tuesday to stump for votes from traditionally strong supporters.

“Some people think you’ll find the heart and soul of America in Hollywood; I think you’ll find it right here in Iowa,” Bush said to the crowd of more than 10,000.

Flanked on either side by tractors and other farm implements, Bush promoted his policies on agriculture, which he said have opened new markets to farmers in Iowa and across the nation. He said these policies have bolstered both the Iowa farm and national economies. In the 2000 election, Bush garnered a majority of the rural vote in Iowa, walking away with more than 60 percent. This year, the president hopes to maintain that bloc.

The majority of Bush’s speech was centered on topics he has relied on past campaign speeches, namely his efforts to curb international terrorism and health care. But he also tailored parts of the address to his crowd at the show.

Bush claimed his policies have helped turn the farm economy around and make it profitable again.

“A strong farm economy is good for our national economy,” he said. “And we have a strong farm economy today.”

Bush also touched upon his support for alternative energy sources, such as ethanol and biodiesel.

“I believe in ethanol, and I believe in biodiesel,” he said. “One day, the president will be sitting in the Oval Office, and someone will come in and say, ‘The corn crop is up and we’re less dependent on foreign oil.'”

According to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, more than 270 million bushels of corn are annually processed into ethanol. The production of ethanol has helped boost the national farm economy by $4.5 billion.

Bush also promoted his trade policies, saying relaxed trade restrictions and more markets have increased farm sales across the nation.

“It’s good for Iowa that we are opening up markets,” he said.

“This administration is committed to making sure that every Iowa farm product is sold all over the world. I believe we can compete with any farmer, anytime, anywhere.”

The visit to Iowa marks the president’s fifth visit in a little over a month. Iowa ranks as the fifth most visited battleground state, with Ohio, Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania ranking higher.

Although Iowa farmers turned out in droves to see the president speak, the event was not without its dissenters.

More than 30 protesters turned out at the farm near the Elkhart exit on Interstate 35 after learning that the free speech zone across from the event had been closed.

Matt Gibson, junior in political science, said the protesters chose the location so they would be visible to the presidential motorcade.

“As the presidential motorcade passed, there was no better way to get our message out,” Gibson said. “Everyone in that motorcade was looking at us; they were reading our signs.”

One of the main issues that Gibson said he was concerned with was showing the president that Iowa farmers matter as much as anyone else. He said farmers in Iowa were being discriminated against through emergency assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

A change in rules during the Bush administration has led FEMA to give out low-interest loans instead of emergency aid when crops are lost through flooding or other uncontrollable conditions, he said.

“Its basically a slap in the face from the Bush administration for Iowa farmers,” he said.