Every time I meet someone who is not from or hasn’t visited Indiana, their first reaction is that the state has nothing but corn and soybeans. Wrong. I’ve always known this but recently came across USDA maps that prove it: farming-dependent counties map. So what is Indiana’s economy dependent upon? Clearly manufacturing.
But so many people in Indiana also perceive that the state’s economy is agricultural based. What Hoosiers need to realize is manufacturing is what we know. Sure, the automotive industry has deep, deep roots in the Indiana. And yes, we all know about the woes of automotive manufacturing. Again, manufacturing is still an asset. The challenge, though, is to leverage this asset and identify how Indiana manufacturing can be strong once again.
It’s time for a little strategy work.
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That USDA map of farming-dependent counties across the country is extremely fascinating. Looks like “middle America” – literally – is the most farming-dependent. And I agree that Indiana’s economy has been, and probably will continue to be, heavily related to manufacturing, though this may increasingly shift to service sector jobs like finance, communications, and so on, as mechanization continues to make manufacturing more automated.
Thanks for your comments