Secretary of Agricultural Tom Vilsack held a session of his Rural Tour at the Country Mill farm owned by the Tennes family of Charlotte, MI. Accompanied by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rep. Mark Schauer (D-MI), Vilsack fielded questions about the factory farms called CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) springing up in southwest Michigan. He was also challenged about the perceived regulatory burden that HR 2749, the proposed Food Safety Enhancement Act sponsored by MI Rep. John Dingell, would impose on small, family operations.