Lt. Governor Announces Statewide Ag Economic Development Program

News Date April 03, 2006

        Lt. Governor Becky Skillman has called the new Agricultural Economic Development Initiative a success and reinforced her commitment to implement this pilot program statewide. Skillman met with economic development and agriculture leaders from the nine southwestern Indiana counties that comprise the nine-county pilot region. The meeting highlighted the release of each county's action plan, as well as a regional action plan.
        "There are many examples of how the Agricultural Economic Development Initiative is forging new partnerships by bringing together local leaders to collaborate on important grassroots programs," said Skillman, who also serves as the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. "As we are seeing today, these connections are leading to innovative economic development ideas in southwestern Indiana. With the great beginning we have in this region, I am excited to see what we can do statewide."
        The Agriculture Economic Development Initiative was introduced in August 2005 as a pilot project in nine counties in southwestern Indiana: Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick. The initiative's goal is to bring together non-traditional partners such as city planners, farmers, economic development leaders, local elected officials and agribusinesses to collaborate on critical economic development and agriculture issues. Over the next few weeks, plans will be finalized to take the initiative to two more regions in the state. The regions will be announced in May.
        "This initiative is a local, grassroots program to build our state's economy, and it is working," said Indiana Agriculture Director Andy Miller. "Our team discovered when you put local leaders in the same room with the same goal of improving their local economy, great things start happening. Not only has the pilot Agriculture Economic Development Initiative been a success, it has also caught the attention of local leaders across the state and in other states."
        For example, the Dubois County action team members identified developing a small business advisory group as an action item for their county to enhance the economic viability of farmers, both large and small. "I'm optimistic about using our local economic development strategy well into the future and continuing to gain local interest and participation," said Robert Grewe, president of Dubois County Area Development Corporation.
        Farming, food and forestry products add $25 billion to Indiana's economy. The sector also stimulates Indiana's economy beyond jobs by multiplying more than two and one-half times the direct wages or income more than $10 billion--and adding it to our Hoosier economy. Farming, food and forestry businesses employ more than 16 percent of Indiana's workers. (Contact: Deb Abbott, 317/232-8767)