From October 04, 2022 post.
With her 99th stop at the Jordan Creek Lowe’s in Dallas County, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) today officially finished her annual 99 County Tour – her eighth consecutive year completing the annual tradition of visiting every single one of Iowa’s 99 counties. Ernst celebrated with a slice of Iowa-famous Casey’s pizza.
“There is no better way to represent Iowa than to be in our communities, talking with folks in every corner of the state to hear directly about the challenges they face. From local businesses and child care centers to family farms and public town halls, I am committed to meeting with and listening to Iowans in every county and bringing their voices and values to Washington,” said Senator Ernst.
Here are some highlights from this year’s 99 County Tour.
Farmers and Ranchers
As someone who grew up on a small family farm and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Ernst knows firsthand the hard work being done by our farmers, day in and day out. This year, the senator met with dairy farmers, local growers, turkey farmers and cattlemen to hear about the top issues they face, such as high input costs, supply chain delays, and a workforce shortage, and how she can deliver real results for Iowa’s agricultural community in the 2023 Farm Bill.
Ernst participated in a roundtable in Benton County with Iowa farmers and agricultural professionals.
Small Businesses
With 98 percent of Iowa’s businesses being small businesses, Senator Ernst understands how important Main Street is to Iowa. On this year’s tour, Ernst, a senior member of the Senate Small Business Committee, visited with a number of family-owned and locally run businesses. Stop after stop, the number one issue Ernst heard was the challenges our small business owners and employees are facing due to inflation.
In Taylor County, Ernst visited with the owners of Ramsey’s Market, a family-owned business opened in 2015.
Families and Communities
From touring new child care facilities, meeting with law enforcement to discuss the fentanyl crisis, and hosting a number of her open and public town halls, Senator Ernst has made hearing from and supporting Iowa’s families and communities a key priority on this year’s 99 County Tour.
Ernst held a public town hall in Monona County where she discussed Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and how it impacts us here at home.
Original source can be found here
