Nebraska Farm Bureau, Chambers of Commerce Highlight Agriculture as Foundation for Economic Development

Nebraska Farm Bureau partnered with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and Lincoln Chamber of Commerce's Partnership for Economic Development on Sept. 11 to host an "AgWorks for Economic Development" seminar and tour.

The purpose of the event was to provide Nebraska state senators with an opportunity to learn more about the important role agriculture plays in the state's economy and the opportunity to capitalize on that strength to boost agriculture-related economic development.

Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue provided an overview of the economic impact of Nebraska's farm-to-fork complex, including production agriculture, food manufacturing, food wholesaling, and food retailing. The combined complex produces an economic output of $167 billion for the state and accounts for nearly 550,000 Nebraska jobs.

In addition to touting agriculture's strength, officials from the Chambers provided an overview of their new joint "AgWorks Corridor" Initiative.The Corridor spans the greater Lincoln-Omaha region, encompassing 11 counties across Nebraska and Iowa and is focused on recruiting agriculture-based companies from start-up to full-scale commercialization. The initiative touts the region's strong production agriculture and value-added agriculture ecosystem of ag processing, input production, equipment manufacturing, and innovation as a strong destination for agriculture-related businesses to locate and grow.

Following the presentations, attendees had the opportunity tour both Lincoln Industries and Kawasaki's production facilities.

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