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Donnelly Days highlights the evolution of farming in Indiana

A member of the Senate Agriculture Committte says farmers are a top priority when agricultural legislation is being debated.

Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly told attendees at his latest Donnelly Days stop he tries to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington, DC – especially when it comes to regulatory issues that could impact agriculture.  “You know what I talk about when I talk about Waters of the US,” he asked.  “I say if they listen to us closer, we can get better results.  That somebody in Washington who sits and dictates from one of the buildings there, if they’re not out on the farm, with our ag community, they’re only getting half of the story.”

Following his stop at the Indiana State Fair’s Pioneer Village, a part of the fairgrounds that turns back the clock and highlights how agriculture once was, the Senator had an informal round table that included members of the Indiana FFA; Aaron and Adam Sheller, owners of Precision Drone, an ag-tech startup; and Indiana Farm Bureau president Randy Kron.  It gave the Senator an opportunity to compare how agriculture once was and where it is headed.  “The great thing is we see where we’ve come from,” he says.  “And we have ingenuity and entrepreneurship.  It may not be the tractor of the 1930’s, it’s the drone of the 2016’s.  The other part of this – we (agriculture) has never been more responsible than now.”

“Donnelly Days” are an ongoing series of events, launched in 2014, where the Senator works alongside Hoosiers in a variety of jobs and professions in communities across Indiana to gain a greater understanding of the issues most important to Hoosier workers.