Windmills are nothing new to the farming community, and today's modern wind turbines are becoming familiar as well, especially on farms within the wind corridor that runs through the country's midsection.

Wind energy technology has come a long way since water pumping windmills dotted the rural landscape in the 1800s. And in the future, these structures could provide a critical solution to the nation's energy future from coast to coast.

Wind energy can provide at least 20 percent of the nation's electricity, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. No new technological breakthrough is needed in order to reach that goal. Achieving the 20% vision cannot happen in a business-as-usual approach. It depends upon a long-term policy commitment to renewables, including production tax credits to help the industry move through the current economic downturn, a national renewable energy standard (RES), additional research and an enhanced electric transmission grid.

Both Congress and President Obama made huge strides with the recently passed economic stimulus bill, which includes initiatives to jumpstart wind energy development with an extension of the federal production tax credit for electricity generated using wind, a temporary grant program, and loan guarantees.

In the President's address to Congress just before the bill's passage, he credited wind energy among the industries with the most opportunity for economic growth and job creation.

He's right. Wind power already employs 85,000 people—a 70 percent increase from just a year ago—and the promise of growth is substantial.

On Earth Day, the President witnessed wind's power to transform stalled economies firsthand when he visited Newton, Iowa—a town left reeling from the closure of a major Maytag manufacturing facility. That once-shuttered warehouse now produces towers for wind turbines, and people are back to work.

"The choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy. It's a choice between prosperity and decline," Obama said at the facility. "The nation that leads the world in creating new sources of clean energy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy."

Rural America, and the farming and ranching community in particular, will be at the forefront of the nation's leadership in the 21st century global economy. As wind farms become more and more common, the rural communities where they are built will benefit in many ways. First, wind power development is an excellent and wise use of resources. Harvesting the wind - an infinite resource - helps to conserve the water that is so essential to agricultural communities. The U.S. Department of Energy found that with wind making up 20% of the nation's electricity supply in 2030, water consumption in the electric sector would be reduced by 4 trillion gallons (or 17%) in 2030. Nearly one-third of this reduction would occur in the arid Western states where water is scarce.

And best of all for the agricultural community, wind power equals additional income. A single wind turbine can provide $4,000 or more annually in farm income.

A recent Kansas City Star editorial in favor of a national renewable electricity standard quoted a local dairy farmer as saying the turbines "take up only a small piece of property, and all you have to do is go down to the mail office and pick up your check. It's kind of like a mini oil well."

Support for wind and other renewables continues to build, and for good reason. In fact, a recent poll by Garin Hart Yang Research Group from April 29-May 1 found that 75% of Americans support a national RES. The U.S. is at a critical juncture right now; we must continue to make needed investments to grow our sustainable energy portfolio.

Can a strong breeze revitalize a country? With the power of wind energy, strong policy leadership, and a vibrant agricultural community, yes it can.

About the Author: Denise Bode is the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (www.awea.org).