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Dear Summit Participants,
Thank you for the warm welcome extended Farm Pilot Project Coordination from our Nation’s “breadbasket.” Over the past half-decade, we have been working with conservationists, farmers and producers in the region to develop and evaluate technologies that, when combined, provide innovative solution sets to enhance the growth of a vibrant livestock industry in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner. Continuing to add protein to the “breadbasket” while reducing the risk of adverse impact to our soil, air and waterways is a goal that we share; the means to which will be discussed during the course of this, our first, Midwest Regional Technology Summit.
In conjunction with our “partner”, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, FPPC has managed, evaluated and tested innovative technology “solution sets” on over 40 “pilot projects” throughout the country. Each of these projects yielded different results, and whether addressing swine, poultry or dairy interests, they all provided valuable information independently and as a cumulative base of knowledge. Examples from many of these projects will be shared with you by a panel of extraordinarily talented presenters from varied fields and disciplines. Important, however, is your insight about experiences, concerns and needs that affect those with whom you work, on farms and communities, daily. So, the most valuable part of the technology summit experience will not be learning from what we have done in the past but rather through the thoughts and ideas this information may stimulate for the exchange of ideas and suggestions by and among each of us gathered in Des Moines for the next two days.
Please allow this to be your opportunity to gain information, foster and forge relationships, and help us all to sharpen our focus through constructively questioning the technologies, techniques and practices contemplated for the reduction of nutrients from the waste stream and the conversion of byproducts into valuable and renewable resources. A summit, such as this, far away from controversies of the day, provides us with a secure environment in which the free exchange of ideas will add momentum to the initiative already underway through which our environment, our families, and those that depend on us for their daily sustenance, will all benefit from the utilization of innovative technology on “AFO’s” in the Mississippi River Basin.
And a special thanks to Governor Chet Culver, and the people of Iowa, for the hospitality and support extended all of us, the NRCS for its steadfast support, and each of you for taking the time to share your thoughts, knowledge and experience with others who are eager to bring about change. We trust that you will enjoy your time during the summit and welcome the opportunity to serve you while here and in the future. Please let us know what we can do to help make this collective gathering a more enjoyable, productive, and enriching experience. Best regards.
Very truly yours,
Richard J. Salem
Chairman and CEO |
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