Keynote Address
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin
Tom Harkin Senator Harkin is a fourth generation Iowan, and a graduate of Iowa State University. He first won election to the U.S. Congress from Iowa's Fifth Congressional District in 1974, defeating an incumbent in a long-standing Republican district.
Senator Harkin served in the House of Representatives for ten years and, in 1984, he again challenged an incumbent, winning election to the U.S. Senate. Iowans returned him to the U.S. Senate in 1990, 1996 and again in 2002, making him the first Iowa Democrat ever to earn a fourth Senate term.
As the chairman of the Senate agriculture, nutrition and forestry committee, Senator Harkin made sure that an energy title, the first of its kind, was included in the 2002 Farm Bill. Advancing the production of biofuels, especially cellulosic ethanol, and encouraging the growth of the biobased industry is once again a top priority for Senator Harkin as he oversees the committee in drafting new legislation for the next Farm Bill.