My Weekly Column

Quantum computing is an intangible phenomenon that often elicits images of supercomputers and spaceships. However, the world of quantum is vast, and its potential is unlimited, particularly for our rural communities and main street businesses.

Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Agriculture Improvement Act ­– better known as the Farm Bill – to protect the productivity, profitability, and international competitiveness of American agriculture.

Domestic energy production – particularly ethanol and biodiesel – is critical to Iowa’s economy and our national security. In Iowa, our biofuels industry supports roughly 57,000 jobs and generates $7.2 billion towards our GDP.

As the second largest exporter of agricultural goods in the nation, trade is vital to our economy in Iowa. 415,000 jobs are supported by trade in our state, and in 2018, Iowa exported roughly $14.4 billion in goods and services.

Agriculture is the economic engine of our state and the backbone of our thriving main streets. It generates billions in economic activity and supports thousands of jobs.

Over the last few years, Iowa families and farmers have been forced to empty their wallets at the gas station as fuel costs soared nationwide. Between federal restrictions on domestic energy production and record inflation, the average price of gas eclipsed nearly five dollars last summer, draining family budgets and stretching paychecks thin.

China represents the greatest threat to our national, economic, energy, and food security. From buying up American farmland to stonewalling investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, China cannot be trusted.