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Farmer's daughter helped select it.
Iowa's new state slogan is only three words: "Fields of opportunities." Short and catchy, it's a positive message and it says something. It's not vague like "Heart of the Heartland" or corny like "Iowa: More Pigs Than People" - two of the many non-winning suggestions.
That's what 18-year-old Rachel Hadaway likes about the new state motto. Whether you like it or not, remember, it is just a slogan. The main benefit was the process of selecting it.That procedure gave Iowans a reason to think about their state and what they'd like Iowa to become, and to put those thoughts in just a few words.
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson, in search of a new state slogan, wanted Iowa's young people to have a voice in the selection. In early 1999, they invited high school students to write an essay answering this question: What are my expectations for Iowa in the year 2010? A panel of judges selected the top essays.
Those 15 winning students met in Des Moines last May to sift through 2,300 proposed slogans sent in by Iowans. That committee of students decided on a "final four," printed...