In order to provide a more comprehensive view on American agriculture, Ed Kee returned to our class to speak on the agriculture industries of Iowa and California. These two states are giants of the industry, as they rank in the top 2 in agricultural exports of the United States.

Iowan agriculture is primarily based on corn, soybeans, pork, and beef production. The fertile loess soils, moderate temperatures, and sufficient rainfall makes Iowa the ideal location for many types of crop production. Iowa continues to be at the forefront of global agriculture. They engage in a variety of innovative industries, such as ethanol production.

California is also a leader in global agriculture, however they operate in different enterprises. Fruit, vegetable, nuts, dairy, and hay production is very active in California. However unlike Iowa, California has to combat the challenges caused by the climate. To overcome drought, they have developed an impressive network of aqueducts to provide all agricultural lands with irrigation water.

By gaining expertise on agriculture across the nation, we can become a much more informed agvocate for agriculture as a whole.