We're Listening: Ag Tech Supply Chain Cluster

One of the most important activities our team here at Iowa Lakes Corridor Development executes each month is listening to you, our Corridor investors. I have personally met with over a dozen of our investors over the past several weeks regarding your continuing interest in supporting this organization; thank you to those of you who pledged! Separate from our fundraising efforts, Joanne Follon and I will be meeting with 30 to 50 Corridor business leaders over the next several months executing our Best of Iowa interviews – an important tool to measure the health of our economy and to identify opportunities for Corridor team members to be of service to businesses in the region. You learned in last week’s newsletter that we are listening to you and reaching out to you regarding our workforce recruitment program – www.GetALakesLife.com – and you learned how we are working to extend this program to increase its effectiveness in serving you. An additional series of listening sessions will take place with many of you in the coming weeks regarding the subject of Ag Tech innovation.

Ag Tech Innovation

Leadership from several Corridor cities and chief executives with several businesses located in our region have expressed interest in identifying a path forward for businesses to work collaboratively in the Ag Tech space. I am working to identify and recruit Ag Tech leaders and I am encouraging these leaders to engage with Corridor businesses in developing a strong supply chain cluster in the design, production, programming, and support of small robotic units that can tend farm fields by planting seeds, applying nutrients and eliminating weeds in ways that boost yields while reducing labor and chemical inputs.

If you or your business wishes to participate in this Ag Tech cluster, please reach out to me. I have reached out to many Corridor business CEOs already (you know who you are), and I will be approaching more of you over the coming weeks. Please accept my offer to sit down with you and visit about how your business can benefit from contributing to the Ag Tech supply chain cluster. 

For many years, agricultural production has witnessed ever larger machines -- for better scale efficiencies – many of which are aided with GPS. In the near future, we will see the entry of small robots that will work collaboratively in teams to tend fields. Dozens of robots scurrying around fields to plant seeds, apply nutrients, and kill weeds. Robots loaded with sensors can keep an eye on the health of our crops. Robots that work autonomously, every day of the growing season, to improve the yield of our fields. We have an opportunity for Corridor businesses to participate in the innovation, production, deployment, and servicing of these robots. Again, when we call you – please take a meetup to chat about how you can contribute. And if you are excited to participate, don’t wait for me to call you – call me at 712-264-3474 or email me bdalziel@lakescorridor.com to learn what we are doing and how you can participate.