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Ag Innovation

Cultivation Corridor

Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa knows agriculture. It’s in our roots and it’s in our future. The DSM region is invested in leading ag innovation forward, which is just one of the reasons why major companies do business here.

Ag innovation in DSM is bold, ambitious and visionary. We’re doing something greater in agriculture and the world benefits, as we lead the nation in production and ag employment. DSM is home to critical transportation infrastructure: major interstates, rail networks and the DSM International Airport. It has access to expansive farmland, raw materials and a skilled agriculture, bioscience and technology workforce. These are a few reasons the region is called America's Cultivation Corridor.

Industry leaders in agribusiness, agbioscience, precision agriculture and biorenewables come together to support and sustain the science that feeds the world. DSM was the selected location for the inaugural Tech Hub LIVE in 2021, and Iowa was the first Midwest state to host the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in 2019. It's home to the annual World Pork Expo — the world's largest pork-specific trade show.

 

Iowa is home to an enormous concentration of agribusiness. It is the nation's top producer of corn, pork and eggs, and ranks second in the production of soybeans and red meat (including pork). According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, Iowa held the following rankings in 2023 among 50 states:

  • #2 Highest Concentration of Agricultural Technicians
  • #3 Most Animal Scientists
  • #3 Most Plant and Soil Scientists
  • #1 Highest Concentration of Agricultural Equipment Operators
  • #1 Highest Concentration of Food Scientists and Technologists

For eleven consecutive years, Iowa State University's (ISU's) agriculture programs have been named to the top 4 percent worldwide among other agriculture and forestry institutions (QS World University Rankings, 2024). ISU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences supplies the state with a diverse incoming workforce related to food, the environment, human health, animals, global resource systems and more.

Leading ag-tech and bioscience companies in America's Cultivation Corridor contribute to the innovation ecosystem, including:

  • Ag Express Electronics
  • Algae Biomass Organization
  • B&G Foods
  • Big Grove Brewery & Taproom
  • Bud & Mary's 
  • Gross-Wen Technologies
  • Helena Industries
  • Ihle Fabrications, LLC
  • i2-tech
  • John Deere
  • Kemin Industries
  • Landus
  • Lely North America
  • Lola's Fine Hot Sauce
  • Michael Foods
  • Mrs. Clark's Foods
  • Osmundson Manufacturing
  • PowerPollen
  • Premier Tech
  • Spraytec
  • Ten Corp Inc./Cattlemen's Heritage 
  • Vermeer Corporation