Todd Rokita: “Reclaiming my time, a lot has been talked about already from Indiana's manufacturing prowess to our agricultural…”

“Reclaiming my time, a lot has been talked about already from Indiana's manufacturing prowess to our agricultural richness, to our own rich history. I want to focus just a little bit before yielding to my good friend, Mr. Messer, to talk a little bit about Indiana's agricultural history. It is in the top 10 in the Nation in agricultural sales, with over $11 billion in those sales. The agricultural industry creates good Hoosier jobs and provides our Nation with an array of products, from corn to soybeans to hogs and poultry, and you just have to go a few miles in any direction on any one of our roads to know that, by looking out your window. In fact, Indiana has so many agricultural products that there are six times as many chickens in the State than people. My district, in particular, has produced several major agricultural innovations. The town of Kokomo, that I mentioned earlier, is known as the ``City of Firsts,'' due to the many products invented there, including both the first canned tomato juice and the first mechanical corn picker, which revolutionized the farming of one of Indiana's most important crops. Indiana is specifically one of the Nation's second largest producers of popcorn. And while that definitely helps us all enjoy trips to the movies, Indiana's contributions to the entertainment field have not stopped there.…”