A bipartisan group of state legislators is holding an economic development conference today in Storm Lake. State Senator Mary Lou Freeman, a republican from Alta, says the meeting stems from discussions she’s had with colleagues about reversing a variety of negative trends. Freeman says it’s time for people in the agricultural sector to consider ways to expand on their ability to profit from their work. The conference is being sponsored by the ten state senators who represent the northwest Iowa region. Freeman says there are spotty areas in the quadrant where the population has been rising, but rural areas are on the decline. The meeting at Buena Vista University features experts from several state agencies and universities.