“Many of my administration’s policies and plans being advanced at the Statehouse had their generation in roundtable meetings like the sessions held today,” said Gov. Pence. “People know Indiana agriculture as corn and soybeans, but in fact today we saw a wide variety of agribusinesses that are succeeding in our state.”

The tour continued at Heartland Growers in Westfield to learn more about important technological developments for small farms. Heartland Growers was founded just after World War II, by immigrants from the Netherlands, and today’s third and fourth generations of the Gapinski family are hard at work employing sustainable practices, both at the 25 acres under roof in Westfield, and the 5-acre shop on Kentucky Avenue.

Beck's Hybrids in Atlanta, Ind., the largest independent family-owned retail seed company in the U.S., hosted the third destination. Sonny Beck and son Scott were joined by other seed and crop businesses in a discussion surrounding expanding export opportunities, renewable fuel standards, and finding more uses for agricultural products in Indiana.

“Each of the businesses we visited today were family-run operations which successfully utilize technology and innovation,” said Lt. Gov. Ellspermann. “The dialogue has been both inspirational and educational and hopefully opens the door to similar future conversations.”

The day concluded at Grandpa Jay's Pork in Kirklin, Ind. Industry stakeholders also were present to discuss the impact of rules and regulations on farmers as they take their products to market.

Gov. Pence has declared March Agriculture Appreciation Month in Indiana and today served as an opportunity to highlight several facets of Indiana agriculture production and the diversity of the agriculture industry.