Agriculture’s impact on Main Street

The story of production agriculture deserves to be told. Nearly every American farmer is a good steward of nature and its resources, working diligently to produce quality, affordable, and plentiful food, fuel, and fiber.Their success, adoption of technology, and efforts to protect the environment are worthy of praise.In northeast Iowa, we are surrounded by productive cropland and see value added to those crops in the form of hogs, cattle, poultry, eggs, and renewable fuels.Unfortunately, the connection between the farm and Main Street has diminished over the years.Mike Rowe, host of CNN’s Somebody’s Got to Do It and formerly Dirty Jobs on The Discovery Channel is an active advocate for blue collar trades, said, “A ‘good job’ has evolved into something that no longer resembles work, and that has detached us from a great many things, including our food and the people who provide it.”You’re invited to join farmers, their families, business owners, and elected officials to hear Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Trent Loos address these issues.You know Secretary Northey who has represented Iowa’s diverse and advanced agricultural interests for over six years. The Secretary visits each Iowa county annually, remains engaged in crop production himself, and ably tells our story here at home and abroad.Trent is a sixth generation American farmer who over a dozen years ago decided he must speak in defense of agriculture due to this disconnect between the farm and consumers – even those who live as close to the center of ag production as we do.Trent was raised on a diversified farm near Quincy, Illinois, and has been involved in livestock production for decades. He and his wife, Kelli, run a purebred Limousin and Angus herd at their home in central Nebraska. Together they are raising three daughters.In an engaging, humorous, and plainspoken style, Trent will both enlighten and encourage all of us to embrace the strengths of production agriculture, the rural lifestyle, and reconnect all of us.What:    Uniting Main Street and Agriculture Through TechnologyWhen:    Wednesday, January 11, 20175:30 pmLight supper servedWhere:    NICC – Wilder Business Center1625 Hwy 150 SCalmar, Iowa 52132