For Immediate Release
January 28, 2008
Contact:  Lisa Landis
Legislative Director
717-787-4420
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Senator Brubaker gives Presentation to National Agriculture Leaders

Keystone Innovation Zone program is focus of breakout session

HARRISBURG – State Senator Mike Brubaker (R-36) spoke to national leaders in agricultural and rural issues about the Commonwealth's Keystone Innovation Zone program at the recent 2008 U.S. Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit.  

The annual Summit brings together state House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairs to discuss critical topics in agriculture and rural development facing state officials. The legislators and agriculture industry representatives who attend come from across the United States as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Canada.  

Brubaker is currently serving a two-year term on the Board of Directors of State Agriculture and Rural Leaders, Inc. (SARL), which hosts the Summit. SARL acts as a nonpartisan informational resource for its members, and promotes policy solutions to serve the agriculture industry and rural communities.  

The Senator offered a presentation on Keystone Innovation Zones during a breakout session entitled "Rural development, building one community at a time," and was joined by Mary Ellen McClanahan of Georgia's Entrepreneur and Small Business Office. He also moderated the roundtable discussion that followed their presentations. 

"SARL provides a wonderful opportunity each year for us to consider state agriculture policy as part of our national and international vision, and it was a privilege for me to have this opportunity to address leaders of the agricultural industry and rural communities from across the country," Brubaker said.  

"The Keystone Innovation Zone program operated through our state's Department of Community and Economic Development is a truly innovative concept to some of these individuals," Brubaker continued. "I was very pleased to share the wonderful things we have done with KIZs here in the Commonwealth and hope that other states can use the information I provided to encourage similar success." 

This year's Summit was held January 18-20 in St. Louis, Missouri, and was sponsored by a wide variety of agriculture-related businesses and organizations. Discussions were held on the federal Farm Bill, agriculture trade, environmental regulations, food safety, rural development, farm profitability, global warming and entrepreneurship.