John Edwards received the backing today of an influential Iowa agriculture leader.

Chris Petersen, who is currently the president of the Iowa Farmers Union, endorsed the former North Carolina senator at a Friday rally in Nevada.

"I have been thinking about this a long time," said Petersen in a telephone interview Friday evening with Iowa Independent. "It's my personal opinion, but I think he's the one."

Petersen said he picked Edwards because of his strong views on the enforcement of anti-trust laws and competition in the livestock industry.

A vocal critic of the agribusiness conglomerates that have rapidly changed the face of agriculture in the Midwest, Petersen said "it's time we got some political courage and leadership" to solve those problems.

"This is a personal endorsement from Chris Petersen the rural advocate, the family farmer," he said, stressing the fact that the Iowa Farmers Union is not endorsing a candidate in the Iowa caucuses. "I also emphasize that as individual citizens, in the Farmers Union board and in our membership, we are all over the map. Many are supporting other presidential candidates. It's called democracy."

Petersen said he is proud of the fact that rural advocacy groups have been successful at making an impact on the presidential race. "We're getting our message into all of the campaigns," he said.

Petersen manages a farm operation near Clear Lake, and has been involved in agriculture in Iowa for over 35 years.