The Iowa Farm Bureau is coordinating a Young Farmer Ag Insights Tour July 13-14 to provide young farmers with opportunities to network with their peers and help generate innovative ideas about ways to add value to their family farms. 

Farmers between the ages of 18-35 can register for the tour, which offers an up-close look at Iowa’s ag businesses, infrastructure and supporting industries.

Starting at the Iowa Farm Bureau home office in West Des Moines, participants will visit several farms and ag-related businesses in eastern Iowa, including the Sunset Hills Bison Ranch, Cedar Ridge Distillery, Dan & Debbie’s Creamery, the Mississippi River Lock and Dam No. 11, and the Big River Resources ethanol plant. 

The tour will also include an overnight stay at the historic Hotel Julien in Dubuque.

“The tour features insight into agritourism, direct-to-consumer marketing, supply chain and logistics of grain movement and biofuels production,” said Iowa Farm Bureau Farmer Education Program Manager Zach Brummer. 

“It also allows young farmers to network with their peers who are also getting their start in ag.”

The Ag Insights Tour is limited to 50 participants, so interested young farmers are encouraged to register soon. 

The cost of the tour, which includes an overnight stay and all meals, is $110 per Iowa Farm Bureau membership household, including a spouse or significant other, or $160 for non-members.

To register for the tour or learn more, visit the Iowa Farm Bureau website at www.iowafarmbureau.com/News/Ag-Insights-Tour.