Food and agriculture has been a driving force in Indiana’s economy since it became a state 200 years ago. It remains one of the state’s leading industries and its ongoing success is critical, both now and in the future. In order to move the industry forward, many leaders of Indiana's agricultural community came together and developed the Indiana Agriculture Strategic Plan.
By establishing strategic goals, the plan provides direction for Indiana agriculture over the next 10 years and will help drive success for farmers, the industry and the state’s economy. It was developed by a committee of Indiana’s agricultural leaders and various representatives from agricultural boards, universities, non-government and government organizations.
The plan’s vision is for Indiana agriculture to “enrich lives through innovation, education, and collaboration.” This can be realized by focusing on the plan’s seven priorities:
- Economic & Community Development
- Education & Career Development
- Food and Agricultural Innovation
- Infrastructure
- Leadership Development
- Natural Resources, Stewardship & Environment
- Public Relations & Outreach
Each priority includes several key initiatives, which list specific action items. To create a clear path forward, each action item includes a champion(s), designated timeframe and resources required to complete the action.
Planning Process/Methodology
Before the planning process even began, an environmental scan was conducted to gain deeper understanding of the current state and future direction of Indiana agriculture. As a way to create additional buy-in from all sectors of agriculture, the strategic planning committee conducted nearly two dozen listening sessions and gathered feedback from more than 100 online surveys, which went to farmers, agribusinesses and other industry organizations. Several strategic plans, from different commodity groups, universities and other states were also gathered and later incorporated into the plan.
Based on the knowledge gained, the industry came together for three strategic committee action planning sessions. Those sessions resulted in the development of the SWOT analysis, vision, goals and priorities, which became the foundation for the Indiana Agriculture Strategic Plan. Once the priorities had been established, the group was broken down into smaller committees, each centered on one of the seven priorities.
The committees then met independently and developed the specific initiatives and action items based on their assigned priority.
The industry representatives then came together one last time, reached a consensus and adopted the final version of the plan.
Strategic Plan – At a glance
- 7 strategic priorities
- 25 strategic initiatives
- 86 action items
- 22 listening sessions conducted
- 100+ online surveys filled out