Presidential candidates John Edwards, Barack Obama and John Cox were in Ames Saturday to talk about rural issues and look for support in the upcoming Iowa Caucuses.

They appeared at the National Summit on Agriculture and Rural Life at the Scheman building on the Iowa State University campus.

A fourth candidate, Sen. Hillary Clinton, joined the conference live via a four-way satellite link that connected her New York headquarters with Ames and remote locations at Wake Technical College in Raleigh, N.C., and the national headquarters of Google Inc. in Mountain View, Calif.

The event was cosponsored by the Minneapolis-based League of Rural Voters and the national Main Street Project. The hosts asked the candidates to focus on rural economic development, health care, education, technology, trade and land ownership.

With three Democrats and a conservative Republicans on hand, there was a large assortment of opinions for listeners to choose from.

But there were areas of consensus, too. All four candidates were in favor of cutting subsidies for oil companies and large agribusiness, but for different reasons.

Clinton said that in New York, her "Farm to Fork" program encouraged more consumption of locally-produced commodities.

Edwards wanted to "eliminate the carbon footprint" that transports goods thousands of miles to rural areas that can produce their own food.

Obama said that billions in farm subsidies have gone to Fortune 500 companies, while "a farmer gets less than $1 for an expensive steak and less than a dime for a loaf of bread."

Cox said he would eliminate subsidies as a means of removing the influence of well-heeled lobbyists from the halls of national government.

The three Democrats all promised to support country-of-origin labeling to let consumers know when their produce was coming from thousands of miles away, and all three opposed large-scale livestock operations.

And all four candidates looked at improved Internet access as a means to build telecommuting, expand and lower the cost of education, bring expert medical treatment to rural health care providers and fight urban sprawl.

Bob Zientara can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 487, or rzientara@amestrib.com.