Iowa is a strongly agricultural state, and also has historically and still to some extent presently, the production of farm implements, washing machines, refrigerators and processed foods. Its industrial outputs are food processing, machinery, electric equipment, chemical products, nd primary metals. Iowa produces the nation’s largest amount of ethanol for gasoline. Des Moines also serves as a center for the insurance industry.

Council Bluffs Iowa is across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska, and is part of the Omaha metropolitan area, with a population of over 800,000 in the two states. Council Bluff has become a major center of gambling casinos. Casinos in the city include Harrah’s and Horseshoes. Davenport in the eastern part of the state is on the Mississippi River across from the city of Moline, Illinois and is also known for its casinos. It is one of the Quad Cities in Iowa and Illinois. John Deere Corporation has for a long time made tractors, lawnmowers and other machinery in the area, first with a plant in Davenport, and more recently in a plant across the river in Moline, Illinois. John Deere has become a multi-national corporation but still produces much of its equipment in the United States, including in Waterloo, Davenport and Dubuque, Iowa, and in Moline in Illinois. Davenport has had a certain amount of problems due to its lack of levees to protect it from floods from the Mississippi River. An interesting nearby site is the Quad City Botanical Center, across the river in Rock Island, Illinois. These large gardens contain both local plants and tropical plants in large hothouses.

Many insurance companies are headquartered in Des Moines, including the Principal Financial Group, Nationwide, Aviva, and American Republic Insurance Company. Principal is a Fortune 500 company that has its headquarters in Des Moines. As a center of financial and insurance services, other major corporations headquartered outside of Iowa have established a presence in Des Moines such as Wells Fargo, ING Group, and Electronic Data Systems.

Cedar Rapids is home to several large businesses and industries, including in food processing, General Mills, Cargill, Quaker Oats, and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Hi-tech and computer companies have also moved into Cedar Rapids and other towns in Iowa. At the center of the city is a famous large modern art metal sculpture known as the Tree of the Five Seasons, which is a three-dimensional form of the city’s logo. Near the center of the city is the Czech Village, and area that has maintained the identity of ethnic Czech businesses. There is also the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in the area.

About the Author

Howard Giske writes about how to get your Iowa Incorporation and other business info at http://www.incparadise.com

Recently, we broke the 25 farm safety audio series into Canada and New Zealand through the Farm Safety Association’s agricultural field educators who are equally concerned about their children’s health and well-being on the farm.

As Farm Safety USA continues in their dedication to farm children, we have been very successful in creating relationships with many different ag-related companies, organizations and institutions including: several State Farm Bureau Federations, Ag In The Classrooms, Mutual Insurance Companies, Future Farmers of America, a few of the Occupational Safety & Health University extensions and numerous farm families, nationwide.

These entities are investing in the safety of our farm children by distributing the product to their members, customers, teachers, patients and farm families nationwide, and internationally!

In addition, we continue to gain interest from Iowa Pork Producers Council, the National Pork Board, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Garst Seeds, the 4-H Club, International Harvester, Pioneer Hybrid (Dupont), and the Iowa Department of Agriculture for distribution interest and/or involvement with the “Fun Farm” product.

Our wish is to find a corporate sponsor to fund the major project of transferring these informative and entertaining farm safety episodes onto video, either through animation or sophisticated puppetry, making the product a visual aid, versus audio.

With over 300 child deaths occurring annually, due to farming accidents, Farm Safety USA and others like us, need to deliver the best educational materials possible to our farm children, in hope of saving life or limb.

It is our duty as an international agricultural market to keep our children as safe as possible so they can grow up, following the lessons learned, and continue their parent’s legacy in becoming farmers themselves.

As other companies and organizations get involved in teaching children about farm safety, together we can decrease the number of fatalities and assist in making our farm communities and economy strong and profitable!

For more information about Farm Safety USA, visit our website at www.farmsafetyusa.com, or call us at 1-515-996-9296.

About the Author

Vickie Harbert began her career in the advertising and broadcast industry, which led her to form another corporation, Farm Safety USA.

She dedicates the “Fun Farm” to her uncle who lost his hand to an auger, a cousin that died at the age of 15 to a tractor overturn, and the many thousands like them.