Contursos Win Iowa Farms Grand Tour

Not all summer vacations lead to interview requests form Cattle Business Weekly in South Dakota or KQWC Radio in Iowa, but that's what happened when Nancy Conturso and her family won a trip to Iowa to get an up-close look at American farming.

The Contursos, who have owned in Montville for three years, won a contest called "Be Our Guest, Be a Farmer" sponsored by the Iowa Food & Family Project of the Iowa Soybean Association.

The trip included guided tours of two crop and livestock farms, a John Deere plant, restaurants, a biodiesel facility and the Iowa State Fair. One evening, they dined at the Iowa Beef Steak House in Des Moines with Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and his guest Mike Strain, Louisiana's agriculture commissioner.

"It's been surreal," Conturso said of the media attention.

She said the experience was eye-opening.

"For John, my husband, it was enlightening for him to see farmers are small business owners just like him. They had so many similarities in the issues that each of them face and then just in talking with ways to grow the business," Conturso said. "For all of us, it was the science behind farming. It was unbelievable."

The Contursos live in Wayne. Nancy Conturso and her husband, John Conturso, have three children: John, 9, Grace, 8, and Danny, 3. John and Grace attended the trip.

Conturso's Market, a specialty food store and catering business on Main Road in Red Barn Plaza, sells prepared meals, sandwiches, salads, pizza and cold cuts. Nancy Conturso said they are gearing up for an Italian Feast this Saturday, when they will showcase specialty foods and offer free tastings from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Aaron Putze, coordinator of the Iowa Food & Family Project, said the Contursos were one of 102 families from 31 states who registered for opportunity and that they were the first family to win a trip.

The trip "gave them a very unique and personal opportunity to see where food originates," he said.

Putze said the trip was designed as an opportunity for farmers to connect with consumers.

“They have a tremendous story to tell, one that is a tremendous success story, and the dialogue is so important. Anytime we can create opportunities for dialogue it leads to greater trust in farmers' work," he said.