Throughout his hourlong town hall-like meeting in Independence, Kerry spoke of his proposals to require that food labels include a product's country of origin and to expand programs that provide financial aid to farmers who practice conservation. He also highlighted his plans to prohibit corporate meatpackers from owning livestock more than two weeks before slaughter and to increase production of renewable fuels from corn, soybeans and other agricultural sources. Kerry defended his support of the 1990s Northeast Dairy Compact, a regional pricing program that propped up prices for Northeastern dairy farmers over objections of their Midwestern counterparts. Congress did not...