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Earlier this month, area farmers and businesses hosted at their sites the annual Ag & Food Science Exploration Day — a chance for organizers to connect youth with industry professionals in both agriculture and science.

This is a marvelous, hands-on way of getting youth excited by both areas that have connections with each other throughout the nation, Minnesota, southeastern Minnesota and right here at home in Mower County,

Students took part in field work, visited Hormel’s R&D lab and of course came away from it all with a broader outlook on ag and science.

What makes it particularly important is that Austin has taken huge strides in becoming a hub for both ag and science. With Hormel, The Hormel Institute, Riverland Community College, Nu-Tek and whatever waits just over the horizon, our area has become a destination for businesses and organizations that excel in the best of both worlds.

Innovation will start and continue here and the Ag & Food Science Exploration Day will continued playing its part and opening doors to students that could be a part of the workforce of tomorrow. It’s a cycle that will allow our area to grow even more simply by taking students into the field to experience the future as it happens.

We hope more students will take advantage of this summer program in the future knowing that tomorrow starts right here.