ADEL, Iowa – In the wide field of Democratic presidential candidates, Senator Barack Obama is the only one who represents the nation’s heartland. Illinois ranks fifth in overall agricultural output, producing more corn, soybeans and hogs than most states in America.

That, of course, does not make Mr. Obama a farming expert. He said so himself, moments after arriving here this afternoon on the Van Fossen Farm, where he stood between a tasseling corn field and a soybean field with leaves slowly rippling in the breeze.

“Although there are an awful lot of farms in Illinois, in the neighborhood where I live, the main livestock is squirrels,” said Mr. Obama, who lives on Chicago’s South Side. “So I don’t pretend to know everything there is to know about agricultural issues.”

So the Obama campaign convened a Rural Issues Forum outside this central Iowa town, about 30 minutes from Des Moines. For more than an hour, he took questions about a smattering of issues. When the conversation veered away from farming – as it often did – Mr. Obama sought to steer it back to agriculture policy.



In case you’re wondering, yes, Mr. Obama did reprise the ongoing exchange he has been having with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton over whether they would agree to meet with foreign leaders.

Weaving it in a larger message of change, he said: “Some of you noticed that this week I got into a debate with one of my colleagues who is also running for the presidency. The debate was about whether or not we talk to world leaders even when you don’t like them. My theory is you do and you do it without preconditions.”

Hearing that, the crowd applauded. And the conversation returned to food and farms, including a question from one man at the back of the crowd who extended an offer to Mr. Obama.

“You can come and help me load hogs in the morning,” he said.

“You can tell that I’m dressed for it,” replied Mr. Obama, casually dressed in slacks and a pressed shirt.

Again, the crowd applauded and laughed. One line that landed a little flat, though, was when Mr. Obama sympathetically noted that farmers have not seen an increase in prices for their crops, despite a rise in prices at the supermarket.

“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” the senator said. “I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.”

The state of Iowa, for all of its vast food production, does not have a Whole Foods, a leading natural and organic foods market. The closest? Omaha, Minneapolis or Kansas City.

Mr. Obama, perhaps sensing a lack of reaction from the crowd, moved along to the next topic. After all, he never claimed to be a farming expert.