Critical to rural development are a regional approach, greater flexibility among federal programs, and more investment, from government, lenders and foundations.

The Obama administration brought in a team in the Departments of Agriculture and Justice that promised to take on the big companies that control the food market. They held hearings across the country and collected tens of thousands of comments. But nothing ever happened and now the last of those who promised action has left.

"Bad drives good toward better times," and in Langdon, four generations have left a path to follow.

The principles of sustainable agriculture were born in rural communities. How can those places now profit from the expanding interest in healthy locally-grown food?