I'll soon be sitting down to watch the first of four Iowa Girls State Basketball Championships. This is my 30th annual trip to the girls' tournament and I always enjoy watching the competitive action. It’s also nice to see so many Iowans who make the trip to Des Moines to cheer on their school.

I'll also be speaking at an Iowa Farm Bureau meeting on Sunday night to welcome a Chinese Biotech Delegation. In order to remain major producers for the world market, Iowa farmers realize that they must be receptive to new technologies, including biotechnology. American farmers have embraced agricultural biotechnology since the commercialization of biotech seeds in the United States in 1996. I understand that China now ranks sixth in the world in terms of agricultural biotech production. Farmers in China, like those in the United States, grow biotech commodities because they know that these products are safe, increase yields, lower costs, and benefit the environment. I look forward to welcoming the Chinese and I hope they find their trip to Iowa beneficial.