Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he noticed two surprises in the latest Census of Agriculture, as he says it’s always interesting to see where Iowa bucks the national trends.
Naig says Iowa was among few states that saw an increase in the number of farms, and Iowa also saw an upturn in the number of farmers, including farmers under 35.
He gives part of the credit to the launch of Choose Iowa, a branded program for Iowa-grown, Iowa-made, Iowa-raised products. Naig says some younger farmers are also getting into diversified agriculture, selling things directly to consumers.
