The importance of agribusiness takes center stage at the 36th annual Celebration of Agriculture on Thursday, March 21 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Complex, following National Ag Day on March 19.
The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and a program beginning at 8 p.m.
According to a news release, the Celebration of Agriculture event offers a unique opportunity for attendees to network and engage with agriculturalist from numerous agribusinesses in the surrounding Cedar Rapids area. This event features keynote speaker Sonny Perdue, former Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mr. Perdue will keynote the event. He was the 31st Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2017 to 2021. As Agriculture Secretary, Mr. Perdue managed a workforce of 110,000 employees with the stated objective of being the most efficient, effective and customer-friendly agency in federal government. This included stabilizing the food supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic and launching the Farmers to Families Food Box program to ensure the most vulnerable Americans were fed.
Currently, Mr. Perdue serves as the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia. He oversees 26 public colleges and universities with a $9.8 billion annual budget, 48,000 faculty and staff and more than 340,000 students.
“We are thrilled to host Sonny Perdue for the 36th Annual Celebration of Agriculture,” said event chairperson April Isaacson, in a release. “To feature an individual that has made as big of an impact on agriculture on a national and global level as Sonny is an incredible opportunity for our community. Agriculture is the backbone of Iowa’s economy, and Sonny Perdue is sure to bring that impact to life at this years’ event.”
Nearly 650 people are estimated to attend this annual celebration. Tickets to attend Celebration of Agriculture are $50 per individual and $500 for a table of ten and can be purchased at https://www.cedarrapids.org/events/detail/eventid10754/. Ticket sales close on Friday, March 8th.
Attendees that purchase a table and anticipate having extra seats can consider donating these seats to area youth studying agriculture. To donate, contact Hailee Sandberg at hailees@iastate.edu.
