Secretary Naig Presents Leadership Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Iowa Agriculture
America’s Cultivation Corridor, Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association, Mark Fischer and Meals from the Heartland honored during annual Agriculture Leaders dinner
DES MOINES, Iowa (March 5, 2020) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig honored three Iowa-based organizations and one long-time state employee for outstanding contributions to the agriculture community. Naig presented the awards to America’s Cultivation Corridor, the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association, former Iowa Economic Development Authority employee Mark Fischer, and Meals from the Heartland. The awards were given during the 8th annual Agriculture Leaders dinner held at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny on March 4.
“Iowa is blessed to have leaders in every sector of our agriculture community,” said Secretary Naig. “The organizations and individuals recognized with Agriculture Leaders Awards are great examples of those who champion conservation, foster a sense of community, build markets and facilitate advances in technology and innovation.”
Iowa Agriculture Leader Award Winners
Leadership in Innovation – America’s Cultivation Corridor
America’s Cultivation Corridor is the epicenter of agriculture research and innovation. The organization fosters opportunities for startup companies and established entrepreneurs to work together to increase the productivity, efficiency and sustainability of agriculture to feed the world’s growing population.
“America’s Cultivation Corridor’s primary goal is to lift-up innovation that is happening within the industry, across the state and connecting it globally around the world,” said Billi Hunt, executive director of America’s Cultivation Corridor. “Innovation happens every day in the ag industry and it’s important to remind people, this is the place to be if you want to grow a company, a career or a lifestyle.”
Leadership in Conservation – Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association
Made up of professional soil and water contractors, LICA is working with state and federal conservation groups to construct permanent, land-based practices. These conservation practices help prevent soil and nutrient losses to improve water quality in Iowa and downstream.
“We are the best at what we do because we love what we do,” said Aaron Lyle, owner of Lyle Earth Works. “Everybody in our organization loves conservation, we love running equipment, and we want to make things better.”
Leadership in Market Development – Mark Fischer
Fischer retired from the Iowa Economic Development Authority in January after 21 years of service to the state. During his career, Fischer led 70 international mission trips to 30 different countries to identify markets and opportunities to sell Iowa’s agriculture products.
“It’s about connecting the buyer and the seller,” said Fischer. “In many cases, that means bringing buyers to Iowa to experience the culture, to see first-hand the products and meet the people. It’s a people business. It’s about helping them understand the commitment and dedication that goes into producing these products.”
Leadership in Community – Meals from the Heartland
Meals from the Heartland is a non-profit organization that packages meals to feed starving children. In 2019, more than 83,000 volunteers helped package 23 million meals; four million meals stayed in the U.S. The remaining 19 million meals fed 220,000 kids per week in 14 different countries.
“Iowa is the perfect place for Meals from the Heartland to be based,” said Greg DeHaai, executive director of Meals from the Heartland. “Iowans have a great service heart. We have a great ag community, and a great community of volunteers who want to come out and package meals.”
Download awardee photos here.
Video profiles of each award winner are available here.