Ernst Celebrates Agriculture Traditions, Recognizes Iowa Servicemembers, Showcases Heartland Innovation, and More

River to River Tour stops included visits in Montgomery, Polk, Linn, Iowa, Story, Marshall, Black Hawk, Dubuque, and Boone Counties.
RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) recently traveled from Montgomery County to Dubuque County to meet with fairgoers, servicemembers, small business owners, farmers, and more on her River to River Tour – part of her ongoing commitment to hear from Iowans in every corner of the state. Ernst also hosted three cabinet members in the state as part of her efforts to bring the stories and concerns of Iowans to the highest levels of the Trump administration.

ClickHEREto download photos from Ernst’s visits.
Nothing compares to the great Iowa State Fair, and Ernst spent several days on the fairgrounds talking to Iowans and celebrating our state’s agriculture traditions. In addition to showing Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin around the fair, Ernst also caught up withBrownfield Ag NewsandIowa Agribusiness Radio Networkto talk aboutissues that are top of mindfor the Iowa agriculture community. Agriculture remained a theme when Ernst traveled to Williamsburg to presentJ&S Farm Supplywith her Small Business of the Week award, as reported byKGAN.

In her role as Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ernst works hard to unlock opportunities for Iowa small businesses – something she highlighted in aCedar Rapids roundtablewith Loeffler where Iowa small businesses owners praised recent Trump administration tax cuts. As covered byKXEL, she also hosted herthird annual Entrepreneur Expoto connect Iowa small business owners with the federal marketplace that featured record attendance, over 50 expert exhibitors, representatives from state and federal agencies, and Loeffler and Zeldin. The administrators also joined Ernst at Mid-States Companies in Nevada where they toured the fabrication facility andtouted the many wins for Iowans in theOne Big Beautiful Bill. Later, Ernst was joined by theTelegraph Heraldas she visited with the owners of Tucker Freight Lines, a small business in Dubuque.

Ernst touted Made in America manufacturing and opportunities for young Iowans as she toured Legacy Manufacturing in Linn County withthe Gazette, Rinker Materials in Marshall County with theTimes-Republican, and the Applied Engineering Building on theUniversity of Northern Iowa’scampus withKWWLand theWaterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.

Iowa’s leadership in innovation was on full display as Ernst and Loefflertoured Perspective Therapeuticsin Coralville, one of Iowa’s most successful small businesses that leveraged funding from the Small Business Innovation Research program to develop cutting-edge cancer treatments. Ernst also joined Secretary of Energy Chris Wright for an insightfultour of the Ames National Laboratorywhere they learned about research on and extraction of rare earth elements for use in American manufacturing. Later that day, she had the chance to witness firsthand how Iowa small businesses contribute to this process during a visit to Critical Minerals Recycling in Boone, asreported by KWBG.

As the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate who served in the U.S. Army Reserves, it was especially meaningful for Ernst to honor Army Reserve soldiers as they deployed to serve our country in the Middle East. She gave remarks at the send-off ceremony for the 103rd Sustainment Command in West Des Moines. Learn more about the ceremony fromKCCIandWHO 13. As reported byWQADandKCSI, Ernst also had the chance to recognize the heroism of Alvin Hays, a World War II veteran from Montgomery County, Iowa who served as a member of the U.S. Navy’s first special warfare commandos, the Scouts and Raiders.