Last Tuesday, Indiana's Lt. Gov. and Secretary of Agriculture Suzanne Crouch visited Ancilla College in Donaldson to take a tour of the agriculture facilities and attend the Marshall County Legislative luncheon that was hosted by the Marshall County Farm Bureau.
Ancilla College's director of agriculture Tim McLochlin gave Crouch a tour of Ancilla's beef and grain farm, greenhouses, Boer goat farm and more. Upon her arrival to the luncheon, she chose to make her grand entrance via a John Deere tractor, which was an exciting moment for Farm Bureau members and FFA students that were present at the day's events.
In her opening remarks, Crouch thanked the Boy Scouts troop and FFA members present and said that the "future is bright with our young people involved in agriculture."
"Gov. Holcomb and I appreciate everything that farmers, the farming community and the ag community and businesses have done for Indiana. Farmers in Indiana have done more than just work to feed the people in our state but have also grown crops to feed those in our world," said Crouch.
She encouraged those present at the luncheon by saying that each and every person there has created great success for agriculture in Indiana and each person is proof to others that anyone can achieve great things.
"Agriculture is woven into the very fabric of our state's economy and is a vital component of our rural landscape," said Crouch.
Indiana is a national leader in the production of crops, livestock, poultry, hardwood timber and much more with exports of $4.6 billion. The state is a national leader in conservation and that can be seen through the ongoing work that farmers statewide are doing with soil conservation and water quality.
"The opportunities for agriculture in Indiana are endless. We need to lift up Indiana agriculture by having strong partnerships with our federal partners. I believe our next economic horizon is rural America," she said.
Crouch also touched on the rural broadband issue in Indiana and stressed her concern for technology on the farm and educating children in rural areas.
"I've traveled across all 92 counties in Indiana and have experienced phone call drops and limited connectivity to the internet. This is an issue that we need to get corrected in our rural areas."
She added that the Indiana General Assembly is doing a study to look at the rural broadband issue. The IGA understands that this is an issue that it has to be addressed. It's also an issue that is expensive so reaching out to the federal government for funding also has to be done.
"So as far as opportunities for agriculture in Indiana, I think we have to focus on our rural broadband issues, growing our livestock production and look at every opportunity available to those who want to be involved with agriculture," said Crouch. "The sky is the limit for agriculture in Indiana."