Naig visits Hagie for engineering week

Last week was Engineering Week at Hagie Manufacturing. Though some plans were interrupted by the weather, the week saw several speakers coming to visit with Hagie employees on topics related to engineering and innovation.

To wrap up the week, on Friday, they hosted a special guest: Mike Naig, State Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Naig spoke about the current state of the ag economy and answered questions employees had about prospects for Iowa’s future.

“We’ve got a lot of cutting-edge leaders like Hagie that are global leaders in their field,” Naig said. “We’ve seen some of our rural communities be left behind... it’s good to see businesses that are thriving.”

Looking to the future, Naig said there was a need for innovation—and more importantly, an environment where innovation can happen. There needs to be opportunity, Naig said, for the “future Ray Hagies” to step in and create.

“We need to make sure we have the right policies,” Naig said. “We’ve got to have the ability to bring new technologies. There’s a history of innovation here. There’s going to be a future of innovation here.”

For Naig's comments about agricultural trends in Iowa, see the March 1 edition of the Monitor.