Plans are set for 90 Norwegian farmers to visit northeast Iowa in a couple of months. Don Short is the executive director of the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, which is hosting the tour.
Short says the Norwegians want to tour the agricultural sector of northeast Iowa to look at dairy farms, grain processing, food distribution, basically all phases of agriculture. Short says a smaller group of Norwegians visited in 2004 through a tour set up by ag equipment maker John Deere. Short says that led to 150 people signing up to tour this time around, and they had to cut it to 90.
He says they’ll come to Iowa in March for eight days. Short says the visit will also be a learning experience for the Iowans. He says it’s a great opportunity to exchange information back and forth and learn about them as they learn about Iowa. Short says the interest generated in the Iowa tour has prompted them to make the tour an annual event instead of every other year.