Agri Drain Wind Wins Iowa Entrepreneur Award for February

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA – January 23, 2013 – Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) says the Guthrie County Agri Drain Corporation has played a vital role in helping generations of farmers manage water and reduce erosion; it is why the Adair company has been named the Renew Rural Iowa Entrepreneur Award winner for February.

Agri Drain, founded in 1976, operates an 80,000 square foot manufacturing company and provides jobs for more than 50 people, many of them, longtime employees. The company’s farm tile innovations, erosion control products and drainage systems make them a leader in the industry. “Some of our product lines we can’t keep in stock and because business has been good, we’re shipping products across the nation and even exporting into Canada,” said Kim Wedemeyer, Agri Drain vice president.

Charlie Schafer, President of Agri Drain Corp., says the company is successful because they’ve embraced innovation and evolved to meet farmers’ needs. “Initially, they wanted to get water off their land. Now, we look at fluctuations in rainfall and how to conserve water, so we developed a ‘smart drainage system,’ which allows us to not only remove water off a landscape, but also to hold water in that soil profile when needed, to provide subsurface irrigation on your crops,” said Schafer.

“Today’s responsible Iowa farmers are always looking for new ways to help them maintain the integrity and sustainability of their land, so Agri Drain’s role is an important one for Iowans and farmers. Their work and their contributions to the local business community make them a vital force in Iowa’s manufacturing industry,” said Sandy Ehrig, IFBF economic development administrator.

Renew Rural Iowa (RRI) is an IFBF initiative supporting new and existing businesses through education, mentoring and financial resources. The next Renew Rural Iowa Business Success Seminar takes place March 5 at Iowa Central Community College in Ft. Dodge.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to helping farm families prosper and improve their quality of life. More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve economic growth, educational improvement, and environmental quality in their communities.