Fourth District Focus: Touring Redwood Farms Meat Processors in Estherville
On Tuesday March 18th, while on my fifth biannual 36 County Tour, I stopped in Estherville at Redwood Farms Meat Processors. On previous visits to Emmet County, I spoke at an Eggs & Issues town hall in Estherville, toured Art’s Way Manufacturing in Armstrong, visited AERO Race Wheels in Estherville, checked out the Estherville airport, and met with emergency manager coordinators and local bankers. Since launching my first 36 County Tour in 2021, I have made more than 320 stops meeting with families, farmers, small business owners, and many other Iowans.
At Redwood Farms Meat Processors, we discussed many issues affecting the hog processing business including the Farm Bill, Proposition 12, and foreign animal disease prevention. Local businesses like Redwood Farms continue to create jobs, boost the local economy, and provide resources for our rural communities throughout Northwest Iowa.
One issue that continues to be on the minds of our hog farmers is Proposition 12, which is a ridiculous California regulation that prohibits the sale of certain animal products that aren’t in compliance with the state’s own out-of-touch agenda. This law is an assault on Iowa hog farmers and egg producers by Californians who have no jurisdiction over how Iowa farmers raise our hens and hogs. That’s why I co-led the Ending Agriculture Trade Suppression Act – which was included in the Farm Bill that we passed out of the House Agriculture Committee last year – to help overturn Proposition 12 mandates on Iowa hog farmers.
We continued our discussion on the need for a five-year Farm Bill, which I continue to seek feedback from our producers back home. With input of our farmers, I have worked to strengthen crop insurance protections, gut wasteful spending in the SNAP program, open new export markets, and keep China from purchasing our farmland. I am looking forward to continuing my work on the Farm Bill as a member of the House Agriculture Committee and getting this legislation signed into law as quickly as possible.
Foreign animal disease prevention is also a top priority for Iowa’s producers. I cosponsored the Foreign Animal Disease Prevention, Surveillance, and Rapid Response Act, which reauthorizes three vital programs that defend American agriculture from devastating animal disease outbreaks, like African Swine Fever (ASF). Foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreaks are feared by all producers as they can have devastating effects on our flocks and herds and prevent our farmers from selling their high-quality products on the global market. ASF has never been detected in the U.S. but has been found in countries close to the U.S. and, with no treatment currently, the best way to protect pigs is by prevention. I will always work to ensure that our producers are well equipped to fight against FAD while working on the Agriculture Committee and closely with the farmers in our communities.
I greatly appreciate hearing from our hog producers and local businesses. I would like to thank all the staff at Redwood Farms Meat Processors for their informative tour. I will always be an outspoken advocate for Iowa’s families, farmers, and businesses, and I look forward to my next visit to Emmet County.