State government and Purdue leaders with ties to the Indiana State Fair are excited about today’s start to the Year of Dairy Cows. Lt. Governor Becky Skillman knows the fair very well and she tells HAT during a number of pre-fair visits to the fairgrounds it is easy to spot a new attitude following the tragic 2011 experience.
“It’s always exciting of course, but I’ve visited with not only the director, but many on staff. I know how well trained they are. You had professionals who were personally devastated from the tragedy of last year and everyone is doing the best of their ability to prevent such from occurring ever again.”
That training she mentioned was extensive time spent learning safety and emergency response by all involved in the state fair.
While Indiana soybean leaders joined national organizations in China this week commemorating 30 years of doing business together, Skillman hosted a 25-member group from the Chinese National Ministry of Commerce. What did these commerce officials have to say?
“That Indiana and California are the targeted states for investment from China,” she told HAT. “That’s great news and I instinctively felt so having just returned from my most recent visit to China. I don’t want to beat up on a fellow state, but of course I try to tactfully point out why the business environment is so much better in the state of Indiana than in California.”
During that trip in June Skillman signed agreements with 3 Chinese companies to start new operations in Indiana. They’ll be located in Elkhart, Muncie and Huntingburg. Two of those will produce agriculture related products.
“In Muncie it would be a new corn oil production facility and in Huntingburg in southern Indiana a feather collection company that will expand their operation there now in close proximity to our strong poultry industry.”[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/08/New-state-fair-attitude.mp3|titles=New state fair attitude]