Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann was the guest of Hoosier Ag Today at the Farm Show on Wednesday; and, after she addressed the HAT mid-day seminar, we took her on a tour. She stopped and talked with many of the exhibitors and asked some serious questions about the equipment and how it is used. Her engineering background was obvious as she was drawn to some of the cutting edge technology on display, “The use of technology in agriculture is amazing, the use of sensors and data collection and feedback so a producer has good information on exactly what he’s planting or applying. I think many Hoosiers and many Americans don’t understand what good stewards farmers are by applying exactly what the plants need and not more.” She added that this is a side of agriculture that does not get talked about enough.
During her walk around the show, she also visited with a number of producers and said people are a big part of what makes Indiana agriculture so progressive and productive, “There are some pretty cool people here, and that is the other part of Indiana agriculture, the great people. It is a wonderful group to be a part of.” In addition to visiting at equipment displays, she visited several of Indian’s great seed companies, including Beck’s Hybrids, Brodbeck Seeds, and DuPont Pioneer.
This was Ellspermann’s first visit to the show, but she promised it would not be her last. In her remarks at the seminar, she discussed a number of initiatives in which Indiana will be involved that will help grow the state’s agriculture industry. She also discussed how the new director of the ISDA, Ted McKinney, will be working with stakeholders to foster innovation in the agriculture industry.