Completing my fourth biannual 36 County Tour
On Thursday, Oct. 24, I officially completed my fourth biannual 36 County Tour — making at least two stops in every county in the 4th Congressional District every year. This is a promise that I made to Iowans when I first ran for Congress, and I’ve kept my word by registering more than 320 stops over the last four years. Meeting with our families, farmers, and businesses and taking their concerns, suggestions, and ideas to Congress remains a top priority for me, and it’s how we can continue working together to find real solutions to the challenges facing our communities.
Now, let’s recap several stops from the past year.
In January, I hit the ground running. I met with Ida County Sheriff Wade Harriman and his department’s K9, Ghazi, in Ida Grove where we talked about my Honoring Police Officer and K9 Service Act to help our law enforcement cover veterinary bills and held an EMS roundtable with EMTs and law enforcement officials in Sidney. I also visited Rural Development Partners in Forest City, held a roundtable discussion with the Algona Chamber of Commerce, toured Art’s Way Manufacturing in Armstrong, spoke to the Sioux Center Kiwanis Club, visited the Kaleidoscope Factory in Pocahontas, and stopped by Keg Creek Brewing in Glenwood. I further toured the Franklin General Hospital in Hampton and the Loring Hospital in Sac City to discuss the importance of keeping our rural hospitals open and operational.
That same month, I kicked off my 2nd annual Feenstra Agriculture Tour with the Harrison County Farm Bureau in Logan and held a Farm Bill town hall with farmers in Treynor. We talked about the Farm Bill, our $34-trillion national debt, the need for year-round E-15, my bill to repeal the death tax, and my work to ban China from buying American farmland.
In February, I met with students and educators at Sheldon Middle School, visited the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, toured the Cherokee Public Library, visited Crossroads of Crawford County — a pregnancy resource center — in Denison, spoke with students in the business class at Avoca High School, and chatted with the Lawton-Bronson FFA and MVAO FFA in Mapleton. I also toured Smitty Bee Honey in Defiance, stopped by Stewart Memorial Community Hospital in Lake City, visited the EDGE program at Boone Community High School, and spoke to the Buena Vista County Pork Producers about my work to pass the Farm Bill and overturn California’s destructive Proposition 12 mandates on our hog farmers.
In April, I toured the Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City, visited the Sioux City Schools Career Academy, stopped by Hi-Way Products and Hawkeye Fabrication in Ida Grove, visited the Spencer Chamber of Commerce-Spencer Schools Work-Based Training Program, and met with Ryan and Mark Zomer at Zomer Company Realty & Auction in Rock Valley. I also toured Osceola Electric Cooperative in Sibley and Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative in Le Mars to discuss the need for “all-of-the-above” energy policies that promote reliability and affordability for our families and businesses and joined Attorney General Brenna Bird at a meeting with law enforcement officers in Onawa. I even had the chance to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State, which will ensure that we can protect our flocks and herds from animal diseases and keep Iowa an agricultural powerhouse.
In June, following the catastrophic floods that hit our communities, I surveyed flood damage with Governor Reynolds and met with Iowans, local officials, and law enforcement across Northwest Iowa — reiterating my pledge to help our families fully recover. The next month, I helped with flood cleanup in Hawarden and met with Rep. Megan Jones, local officials, and emergency management in Sioux Rapids. I also visited Agrivision — which sells and repairs farm equipment — in Missouri Valley, attended Google’s announcement of a more than $1 billion investment in its data center campus in Council Bluffs, and toured the Loess Hill Landfill and Renewable Natural Gas Facility in Malvern.
In August, I met with the Humboldt County Cattlemen’s Association, toured Asmus Farm Supply in Rake, stopped by the Fort Dodge Car Show, visited the Hampton Public Library, and made my way to Athletico Physical Therapy in Garner. I also toured the Palo Alto County Health System in Emmetsburg where we discussed my Rural Hospital Stabilization Act, which will help keep our rural hospitals solvent, and met with Andrew Wagner — owner of Eagle Grover Pharmacy — where we talked about the importance of our rural pharmacies, especially for our seniors. I also held town halls in Pocahontas and Manson to answer questions from Iowans, checked out building renovations as part of the LIFT Webster City Downtown Project, and spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Marshalltown Community-Based Outpatient Clinic for our veterans. Furthermore, I welcomed the House Ways and Means Committee — on which I serve — to Des Moines for a hearing on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and had House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson at the Farm Progress Show in Boone.
In September, I visited the Elderbridge Agency on Aging in Carroll, had a good conversation about the Farm Bill at Brun Ko Farm in Exira, and met with the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce to discuss the need to reauthorize and build upon the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I also talked about my recent trip to Israel at an event hosted by Iowans Supporting Israel, toured Nor-Am Cold Storage in Le Mars where we covered my FRIDGE Act — which will help build refrigeration infrastructure and make port improvements to ship Iowa agricultural products worldwide — and spoke with the Northwest Iowa Economic Developers about our work to grow our rural communities and strengthen our economy.
Finally, in October, I spoke at the five-year anniversary celebration of Lopez Foods in Cherokee, held a roundtable with the Hancock County Economic Development Corporation, visited Hood Packaging in Sibley, toured the Estherville Airport, chatted with Professor Rich Vyn’s agricultural policy class at Dordt University, toured Lineage — a cold storage facility — in Denison, and met with local officials, community leaders, and law enforcement in Spencer to receive an update on flood recovery. I also visited the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City and flew on a KC-135 refueling tanker, caught up with Humboldt County farmer — Cody Allen — to talk about harvest and the Farm Bill, and held a town hall with 70 students at Okoboji High School to answer their questions about government.
Meeting with Iowans is the most important part of my job. This year — just like in years past — I learned more about our district, took Iowans’ ideas and transformed them into meaningful policy, and was reminded of how blessed we are to call Iowa home. I look forward to another successful 36 County Tour and Feenstra Agriculture Tour in 2025 and will continue to work to deliver for our families, farmers, businesses, and rural communities.
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Randy Feenstra, a Republican
from Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth District
in the U.S. House.