In an effort to expand their services to area businesses, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce recently held an Issues and Answers Breakfast.

“We actually started this concept three or four years ago in an effort to give members a chance to hear from the source about issues that were current or of significance,” said Scott Ellenberger, the president and CEO of the chamber.

The title of discussion was “The Impact of Agriculture on the Economy of DeKalb County: A Panel Discussion on how Agriculture Continues to Impact the Economy of the County, Current Market Trends and the Changing Technology of Farming.”

And there was no shortage in attendance.

“A certain percentage of our members attend no matter what the topic is,” Ellenberger said. “They know that they’ve got an opportunity to hand someone their business card and that someone just might become a new client. Another percentage of our members attend because of the topic.”

Agriculture is the second biggest employer in the county, according to Ellenberger.

Some of the topics discussed at the breakfast included the values of crops grown in the area as well as issues with livestock.

“There is a fairly large amount of hog and swine confinement facilities in our area,” Ellenberger said. “In other words, you could drive around DeKalb County and almost never see one out wandering around.”

Tim Cane of Monsanto was also there to speak about plant genetics in research, Ellenberger said. He explained how a corn plant resistant to the European corn boar can help reduce the effort a farmer will have to make protecting that plan, such as spraying, which cuts that farmers profits.

There was also discussion about the costs and profits of a stereotypical farm and its contributions to the local economy.

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring another Issues and Answers Breakfast in early October. For information, call 756-6306.