Sen. Ernst makes stop in Osceola during 99-county tour

Clarke County was the next stop for Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, during her 99-county tour of the state.

The Red Oak native toured the Valley of the Moon Commercial – Turkey Hatchery Friday, July 29. Media was invited to attend a one-on-one session with Ernst at Clarke County Farm Bureau after the tour.

“It’s an incredible, incredible industry, and I’m glad it’s based right here in Iowa,” Ernst said.

Years ago, when Ernst was in the Iowa Senate, she represented the Clarke County area. She was at the facility when it first opened.

On the July 29 tour, Ernst said she enjoyed listening to employees explain their jobs and how the factory runs.

“It was really interesting to see it from when it first opened to actual full production today,” Ernst said. “I learned so much going on that tour today. It was really great to see all the employees and the folks in the different departments.”

RNC

In late July, Ernst gained a national spotlight when she gave a speech during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

Republicans nominated business mogul and reality star Donald Trump to their presidential ticket.

Even though there were a few glitches, like Melania Trump’s reported plagiarism of a Michelle Obama speech and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz not endorsing Trump, Ernst said it went great overall.

“It was a lot of fun, I think, for our Iowa delegation to go out and hear the speeches from a wide variety of people and their perspectives, whether it was national security, jobs and employment opportunities that we should have here in the United States and there’s just a lot of excitement, I think, about the convention,” she said.

Ernst added, there was a lot of excitement about Trump in general.

Veterans issues

When it comes to local issues, veterans affairs and national security remain top priorities for Ernst, who retired from the military in 2015.

Ernst stressed the importance of providing adequate and timely care for veterans. The next U.S. Senate session in Washington, D.C., will be scheduled for after Labor Day.

“We do have very good VA facilities in Iowa, but it seems we’re still struggling with some of those priorities,” she said. “So, we’ll keep working on those issues.”