INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Gov. Mike Braun’s plan to invest $1 billion over the next 10 years to create thousands of high-wage jobs in agricultural and life sciences has the backing of the director of the state’s department of agriculture.

The plan calls for spending $100 million a year over the next decade to create 100,000 jobs in Indiana. The state’s investment will focus on increasing jobs and wages, according to a press release. The funds will be tied to measurable outcomes to ensure accountability and long-term return on investment, the release said.

The goal of the investment, the release said, is to make Indiana the premier U.S. destination where human therapeutics, animal health, agritech, biotechnology and environmental innovation flow together along the vital, anchored pathway of private-sector excellence. The governor announced his plan March 17.

Don Lamb, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, said it’s encouraging to have a governor who not only recognizes the value of agriculture, but is willing to invest in its future.

“(The investment) is one-third of the investment Indiana is already committed to spending to attract new companies through incentives for economic development efforts,” Lamb told Farm World. “This announcement commits that we are going to specifically target this type of industry.

“The ag bioscience/life science industry creates good, high-paying jobs and attracts quality people to an ecosystem, not just a place. Stack on top of it, that Indianapolis is a great place to live and it creates a great opportunity. It’s great news for agriculture.”

The initiative will attract new companies to the area as well as encourage expansion of existing companies, he said. That, Lamb noted, is great for the state’s economy as it will increase the tax base that helps build infrastructure.

It’s also great for innovation that will result in returns to agriculture, he added.

“We will have access to new products that will aid in the production, processing and safety of products that will be grown on tomorrow’s farms,” Lamb explained. “This is a big step toward ensuring that agriculture will be a priority in Indiana for a long time.”

Companies such as Eli Lilly and Company, Elanco Animal Health, Corteva Agriscience, Cook Medical and Beck’s Hybrids – all based in Indiana – will participate, the release said. These industry leaders operate in close partnerships with research institutions such as Purdue and Indiana universities, the release said.

Together, these assets anchor a life sciences economy that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates billions in annual gross domestic product statewide, according to the release.

“It all gets back to the synergy that is developed by companies who want to operate in a common ecosystem,” Lamb said. “These companies attract the same kind of workforce, they attract the same kind of support industries and supply chain service providers, among other things.”

The project builds on a Braun executive order directing Indiana’s regions to submit formal growth plans tied to employment growth, per capita income, and educational attainment, the release said. The Central Indiana Regional Development Authority was chosen by the governor as the first regional steward to coordinate alignment and execution of the initiative.

Lamb said Hoosier farmers will benefit from the plan.

“The agricultural supply chain impacts everyone in agriculture and even the consumers of food,” Lamb pointed out. “The products of ag bioscience start at the farm gate, end at the farm gate, and provide for consumers in-between.”