This week, Ice Miller hosted an industry gathering in honor of two great friends to and leaders of Indiana Agriculture.... Anne Hazlett, the director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), and Jay Akridge, the Glenn W. Sample dean of agriculture at Purdue University.  Lt. Governor Becky Skillman joined the group and wielded high praise for both Anne and Jay.  In doing so, she also reminded all of us how fortunate our state is to have such strong agricultural leadership.

Anne brings significant experience to her position at ISDA following two "tours of duty" in Washington, D.C. on both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees where she was involved in both the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills.  Most of us in Indiana, however, know Anne well from her time served as Lt. Governor Skillman's chief of staff in the administration's first term.

Anne relayed to us that the current economic climate is a "time of great opportunity and great challenge" for agribusiness.  We are fortunate to have such a diverse agriculture that continues to see strong demand...some in part to previous trade mission efforts.  In order to remain competitive, however, she challenged us to better articulate to consumers the economic development impact of agriculture on our state.

As  dean of agriculture, Jay is responsible for administering academic programs in the College of Agriculture, the Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station, the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service and a number of state regulatory services.  Jay's leadership in the Department of Agricultural Economics well prepared him for his current role as he directed the MS-MBA dual degree program between Purdue and Indiana University and also managed the Center for Food and Agricultural Business.  He is also an acclaimed teacher, receiving Purdue's highest teaching award just a few years ago.

Jay shared with us the efforts underway in the College of Agriculture to complete their strategic vision and roadmap for the next five years.  More importantly, he encouraged us to continue to seek new and critical partnerships.... partnerships among Purdue, the state and the business community.

Indiana agriculture, like so many other industries, is working to adjust to the challenges presented by this severe economic downturn.  In many areas, new leaders are working to navigate these difficult times and bring innovative ideas to these significant challenges.  In Indiana, we have these kinds of leaders...espeically in agriculture.  Anne Hazlett and Jay Akridge, while not "new" faces, are proven leaders and will continue to contribute to our industry's success.