Hillary Clinton made her third ever visit to the Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa, on Wednesday at the school’s FFA Enrichment Center, where she formally announced her plan for rural policy in America. 

 “I believe America depends on small rural communities. For prosperity to be real and lasting, it has to take root right here in Iowa and in small towns and rural areas across the country,” Clinton said shortly after taking the stage. 

Clinton’s “plan for a vibrant rural America” lays out four key areas she wants to focus on, including investments in the rural economy, raising profitability for family farms, promoting clean energy leadership, and expanding overall opportunity in rural America.

For investing in rural economy, Clinton’s plan includes increasing the number of Rural Business Investment Companies (RBCIs) and increasing tax credits for low-income communities. She said the cause was one she had championed in the past.  

“More than 25 percent of children in rural America are growing up in poverty. In many places, you might have to drive for hours to find a quality, affordable health care provider,” Clinton said. 

A 2004 report by the University of New Hampshire Scholars’ Repository reaffirms Clinton’s assertion that 25 percent of rural children are poor. 

Clinton also cast support for Obama’s proposal to make community college tuition-free.

“This community college is a model for the kind of excellent education that should be available to everyone,” Clinton said, who added her plan to offer refinance to all the student debt already affecting students.  

Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture who endorsed Clinton on Tuesday, introduced her.

“I like the idea that I have a presidential candidate that I support that listens and comes up with a plan to extend services to people in need,” Vilsack said. “This is a person who is rooted in the middle class. She’s never left the middle class in terms of her values and concerns.”

Iowa Republicans responded quickly, saying Clinton’s plan shows she does not trust Iowa farmers “to take care of their own land.” They said the “top-down, bureaucratic programs” she proposed Wednesday will not benefit the state.

“This plan sounds like it was written by Clinton’s D.C. advisers who think food comes from the grocery store, rather than people with any real understanding of agriculture,” said state Rep. Jarad Klein, R-Keota, and member of the Iowa House Agriculture Committee.

“Let’s remove regulations, reduce burdens and reign in overzealous bureaucrats, rather than layer more top-down programs on Iowa farmers. That’s how you truly help farmers and rural communities succeed in America,” he said.

Clinton also made two more stops Wednesday, speaking in Baldwin, Iowa and Sioux City, Iowa.