The state budget plan lawmakers are developing includes $5 million for construction of an Agricultural Education Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons said it will be a key component of what will be called the “My Iowa Ag Learning Campus.”
“The concept there is this facility will serve as the hub of all the agricultural programing that happens at the Fair,” Parsons said. “Think of it kind of a ‘welcome center’ for agriculture at the Fair.”
The plan calls for the center to be built near the Animal Learning Center where fairgoers can see live farm animals, watch the births of baby pigs and chicks, and learn about the different parts of a farmstead. The new building will focus on crop development, Iowa soils, farm equipment and jobs in agriculture.
“Really when you think about it agriculture of course touches every Iowan,” Parsons said, “and agriculture really ties every part of the Fair together.”
There are other concepts like this at other state fairs, according to Parsons. “The Indiana State Fair has a facility called ‘The Glass Barn,’ but what I think will make our situation unique is we’re going to literally be able to tie all of this into what we’re calling this ‘My Iowa Ag Learning Campus,'” Parsons said. “It’s this new facility. It’s the Animal Learning Center. It’s Little Hands on the Farm. It’s the garden.”
Parsons said the total construction cost for the new building is projected to be $15 million. In January, Governor Reynolds recommended that the state provide $5 million over the next two years for the project. Bills that have cleared initial review in the House and Senate would provide similar withdrawals from the state fund where gambling taxes are deposited.