• Indiana Association of Counties Certified Winning Community (One of only tow counties in the state of Indiana) for strategic planning and implementation including agricultural development.
• Rush County enjoys a close cooperation between City and County leaders for agricultural development.
• New agriculturally tiered, county-wide zoning.
• 42.7% of assessed property value for Rush County zoned agriculture (Ag is the highest valued property class in Rush County.)
• 205,000 prime cropland acres in Rush County; corn yield 8th in state, soybeans 1st in yields and production in the state.
• Rush County is 15th in the state in hog production, and 23rd in cattle production.
• Strong support for Agriculture Development within schools through FFA.
• Rush County is home to four large implement dealers, one of only five counties in North America and Canada to have all four within county limits.
• Numerous suppliers of agricultural inputs including; fertilizers, chemicals, feed and seed and application needs.
• Impressive infrastructure including; extensive rail system upgrade to accommodate biofuels initiatives and future development, wireless/fiber internet access countywide, 10'' natural gas pipeline, and strong water capacity.
• DuPont Pioneer Seeds invested in $4.2 million facility expansion in 2005.

Accomplishments:

• Identified areas of concentrated corn yields to sustain biofuels initiatives.
• Assessed Rush County and the surrounding regions capacity and access to corn, soybean, and wheat yields.
• Assessed Rush County's infrastructure assets and liabilities to sustain biofuels initiatives.
• Bio Diesel plant located 13 miles West of Rushville.
• Future home to Rush Renewable Energy, LLC 60-million gal/yr ethanol facility.
• Rush Renewable Energy, LLC potential expansion within 24 months to 120 million gal/yr facility, initial investment: $82M
• Whitewater Valley Ethanol, proposed 120-million gal/yr ethanol facility in Glenwood, IN (On the Rush/Fayette County border.)

Long Term Goals:

1. Be a leader in research and development for bi-product utilization.
2. Lead the industry in research and development for other bio-mass based ethanol production.
3. Continue to seek and explore other forms of green energy utilizing methane recovery.

Accomplishments:

• Drafted new agriculturally tiered county wide zoning ordinance to a more friendly, streamlined permitting approval process.

Long Term Goals:

1. To identify specific parcels of land conductive to CAFO/CFO development.
2. To identify specific parcels of land suitable to large dairy, beef, and swine development.
3. To secure land options for above stated sites to expedite development projects.
4. Assess and itemize infrastructure needs for each site.
5. To explore the possibility of a Certified Shovel Ready Agricultural Site.
6. To explore the possibility of a regional "Virtual" Agricultural Park with Rush Renewable Energy as the hub of the park.

Short Term Goals:

• To explore and determine specific sectors of research and development as it applies to current agricultural initiatives in Rush County and the region (ex. Agronomics, genomic, breeding livestock, pharmaceuticals, and odor control and utilization.)
• To create a catalog of all the different types of research and development, identify their locations and seek R & D gaps in our region.
• Estimate the cost of doing business in the current hometown environment for the targeted R & D facilities.
• Estimate cost of doing business in Rush County as compared to current county of operation.
• Partner and work closely with Purdue/Ball State universities and Ivy Tech State College.
• Promote NIP as perfect home to R & D facilities.

Long Term Goals:

1. Aggressively seek R & D facilities specializing to compliment current and future agricultural development for Rush County and the region.
2. Aggressively seek certification from the State of Indiana for a Certified Ag Tech Park.

Short Term Goals:

• To explore the specific types of food processing from meat packing to specialty processing.
• To analyze and identify which particular types of food processing compliment our current and future agricultural needs and seem to make a strategic fit in our community.
• Identify which food processing plants will increase not only human capital, but also per capita income for local residents.
• Outreach to county towns and townships within the region to assess their needs in food processing.
• Promote NIP as potential site for large food processing plant.