(Des Moines, Iowa) – As part of his annual visits to each of Iowa’s 99 counties, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will be in Southwest Iowa on Friday for four different stops.

In Shelby County, Secretary Naig will tour a brand new, Farm Service Cooperative Warehouse. He was unable to attend their open house last summer and so he will tour the warehouse and meet with employees and leadership to hear about current issues and how preparations for the spring planting season are going.

In Harrison County, Secretary Naig will tour and learn about the IGNITE Pathways Land and Cattle Program, in Woodbine. IGNITE was founded by a group of enterprising students in 2022. The program aims to provide practical learning opportunities in agriculture by renting a farm and raising chickens, goats, sheep, and cattle. The students have demonstrated their commitment to the welfare of the animals by taking on the responsibility of sourcing resources, building and maintaining farm infrastructure, and installing fences. Under the guidance of Justin Mills, Agriculture Instructor at IGNITE Pathways, the program has grown in scale and scope. The students gain invaluable hands-on experience in various aspects of agriculture, including caring for animals, crop cultivation, and farm management.

And, the Secretary will speak at a regional Iowa Corn Growers meeting in Missouri Valley, about current topics in agriculture, provide an update on some of his priorities and initiatives, and take questions from the audience.

In Pottawattamie County, Secretary Naig will meet with FFA members and ag students from the Tri-Center FFA in Neola, and learn about their school’s efforts to partner on pollinator habitat and conservation and water quality projects with area partners, including the local Soil and Water Conservation District. Ahead of FFA Week, which is the following week,  Secretary Naig will also tour their livestock facility.