Because it was.

Naig grew up on a family farm in northwest Iowa near Cylinder. He was obviously at ease touring the building and greeting the assembled farmers, educators and leaders who were involved with the newest addition to the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.

His enthusiasm radiated from him as he greeted the small group who was there to explain the project, and smiles abounded as he congratulated the team who made the ag education center a reality.

“I learned about this project before,” Naig said. “Now I get to be here.”

Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Kolleen Taylor
Webster City High School superintendent Matt Berninghaus, left, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig reconnect at the recent tour of the Career Ag Academy. The two grew up in neighboring towns and competed against each other during their school years.

As he greeted Matt Berninghaus, Webster City superintendent of schools, it was a greeting between friends.

“Of course you’d be here,” he grinned.

Naig and Berninghaus grew up in adjoining towns, and competed against each other during school events. But they are close for another reason; they are cousins.

Of course, Naig knew about Webster City and this project.

The first talks about the Career Ag Academy began in 2014, according to the board president, Gene Gourley. It was sometime after that that Naig began hearing about the plans.

Included in the meeting were several board members from the Career Ag Academy, Hamilton County fair board, staff from the Webster City High School and a few city leaders.

The visit was brief, just slightly over an hour. During the visit, Gene Gourley, president of the Career Ag Academy board of directors explained the project in a round table discussion. Naig was curious and his questions were directed to board members and to Emma Lorraine, a student who represented the many youth involved.

“It’s the wrong time of day to expect students to be here,” Naig quipped, as his scheduled visit began shortly after 3:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon.

Kurt Velduizen, Webster City High School ag instructor and FFA advisor, led the tour through the building, opening doors to the kitchen, the cooler, storage areas and even the bathroom that includes a shower just off the livestock area.

The pristine facility was ready for the visit, with the group invited to enter the biosecurity stock area, where hens, roosters, and two sows were waiting to farrow.

It was not a normal visit for dignitaries. Clad in jeans and ready to step into the facility, Naig was the first one to don the booties which allowed visitors to step into the stock area. His farming background was evident as he quickly took in the facility, marveling at the foresight and long-term planning for the project, which is a partnership between the Webster City School District, the Hamilton County Fair Expo and Career Ag Academy, Inc.

Gourley spoke on the need for the facility.

“With more and more urban kids in the classrooms, and the biosecurity needs that keep them from experiences on farms,” he said, “we needed and wanted to get kids exposed and into ag education.”

The facility, he explained, allows students to build a relationship, and a visual and physical attachment to build a passion for agriculture.

“There’s nothing better than following your grass roots and showing them career opportunities,” Gourley said.

Naig, nodding his head, was in full agreement.”

“I’m a big believer; the livestock interaction is so important,” said Naig, “We need to create those pathways; we need more people working in ag.”

Naig commented on the connectivity of the facility, using his own son and kids as an example, “Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know.”

As he and Veldhuizen compared notes about the students, he noted the fields that have a definite place in agriculture. Veterinarians, bankers, plumbers, electricians, information technology and many other careers link directly to hometown jobs in agriculture. A future focus in the meat identification and grading ties directly to culinary arts, noted Veldhuizen, a field that is taught nearby at Iowa Central Community College.

Naig, who was heading to a conference in Washington, D.C. at the end of the weekend, was asked about his priorities in his role in helping the farmers in Iowa.

He was hopeful with the recent comments from President Donald Trump in getting E-15 authorized for year-round distribution.

“The cost of production is higher than the price of the crop,” Naig said, “It’s tough. The prices are down, but the inputs are up.”

He is hopeful that increasing the global market will drive the demand, and increase the prices paid for the crop. The farm bill, inflation and competition all will play a role in the future for the ag community, he said.

“Some of the costs are supply chain issues, some trade issues, there’s not one simple solution,” he concluded.

Whatever lies ahead, he assured, the things happening in Webster City, the Ag Academy building and the classroom, are things that will help.

Naig was elected as the 15th Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in November 2018. He is a graduate of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. He and his wife have three sons, and he remains involved in his family farm operation.