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 Forklift Masts Iowa - Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area usually called the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the numerous American Indian tribes which occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa State was a part of the French colony of New France. After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers laid the foundation for an economy based on agriculture within the heart of the Corn Belt. Iowa is usually known as the "Food Capital of the World." Then again, Iowa's landscape, economy and culture are diverse.
During the latter half of the 20th century, Iowa's agricultural economy transitioned to a diversified economy of advanced processing, manufacturing, biotechnology, financial services, and green energy production. The state of Iowa has a population of just over 3 million in 2010, and its capital and largest city is Des Moines. The state of Iowa has been listed as amongst the states which is safest to reside in.
Though the state of Iowa is normally viewed as a farming state, in truth agriculture is a small part of a diversified economy, with manufacturing, biotechnology, finance and insurance services, and government services contributing substantially to Iowa's economy. This economic diversity has helped Iowa weather the late 2000s recession better than most states, with unemployment considerably less as opposed to the rest of the nation.
If the economy is measured by gross domestic product, in 2005 Iowa's GDP was about US $124 billion. If measured by gross state product, for 2005 it was US $113.5 billion. For 2006, its capita income was US $23,340.
Directly and indirectly, agriculture has always been a main part of the economy of Iowa. However, the direct sale and production of raw agricultural products contributes just approximately 3.5% of Iowa's gross state product. The indirect role of agriculture within Iowa's economy can be measured in multiple ways, but its total impact, comprising agriculture-affiliated business, has been measured at 16.4% when it comes to value added and 24.3% when it comes to total output. This is lower compared to the economic impact in Iowa of non-farm manufacturing, which accounts for 22.4% of total value added and 26.5% of total output. Iowa's major agricultural outputs are corn, hogs, oats, soybeans, eggs, dairy products and cattle. Iowa is the nation's largest producer of ethanol and corn and some years is the biggest grower of soybeans too. In the year 2008, the 92,600 farms in Iowa produced 19% of the country's corn, 17% of the soybeans, 30% of the hogs, and 14% of the eggs.
The main agricultural producers comprise Archer Daniels Midland, Ajinomoto, Diamond V Mills, Cargill, Inc., Heartland Pork Enterprises, Garst Seed Company, Hy-Vee, Monsanto Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, and Quaker Oats.
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