By Sam Parsons

On Friday afternoon, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig visited the Pro-Line Building Company in New Sharon as part of his annual 99 county tour across the state. Naig took a tour of the facilities at Pro-Line and asked questions about how business was going, challenges faced by local industry leaders, and the outlook in the near future.

Bill Maschmeier, the owner of the Pro-Line Building company as well as several other business tied to the industry, talked about the ongoing supply chain issues over the last few years, and other typical challenges that have come in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, but one topic that was raised consistently was the lack of young, skilled tradesmen. Naig suggested that awareness among current primary school students and parents could be playing a role in the fact that fewer high school graduates are pursuing careers in trade.

Naig also discussed his legislative priorities in the year ahead, and mentioned housing, child care, youth apprenticeships, and making the state of Iowa a competitive and attractive place for industry leaders. He also mentioned the farm bill that will be discussed in legislative sessions this year as one of the main drivers to accomplish those goals.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture website can be accessed here.