Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig

Today was a great day for Iowa agriculture. It was good to join Governor Kim Reynolds, farmers, and stakeholders as she signed the first-ever Iowa Farm Act and the Agriculture & Natural Resources budget into law.

These bills make important policy improvements and strategic investments in water quality, local foods, animal health and welfare, and consumer protection and food safety efforts that will strengthen the future of Iowa agriculture.

Thank you to Governor Reynolds and our partners in the Legislature for their leadership and strong support of Iowa's farm families, rural communities, and consumers. Together, we’re keeping Iowa agriculture strong and growing. 🌽🇺🇸

The Korver family is doing something really special at Favorite Creamery, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about their business on Friday. It’s inspiring to see a young farm family taking milk produced on their farm and creating high-quality, value-added products like artisan cheeses and gelato. Touring the creamery, seeing the goats, and hearing firsthand about how they’ve grown the business over the years made it clear how much passion and hard work they have invested in their operation. As someone who enjoys ice cream, I was especially glad to sample some of their products. It’s easy to understand why their products have developed such a loyal following and can now be purchased in retailers throughout the tri-state area. As proud Choose Iowa members, they are also helping consumers identify and support local products by prominently featuring the Choose Iowa logo on their packaging. Favorite Creamery is a great example of the innovation, entrepreneurship, and family commitment that continue to strengthen Iowa agriculture and create new opportunities in rural Iowa.

📸 Exciting day at Favorite Creamery!

We were honored to welcome Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig to our farm today! Secretary Naig toured our kid barn, milking parlor, and cheese and gelato making facility. It was a great visit, highlighting the hard work happening right here in Iowa’s dairy industry.

Justin Korver & Brittany Ranschau Korver, their kids, and Secretary of Ag Mike Naig, created some wonderful memories from the Secretary’s visit. We’re so grateful for the support of Iowa agriculture and the opportunity to showcase what we do at Favorite creamery.

Choose Iowa— when you choose local, you support families like ours and help keep Iowa strong!

Thank you Secretary Mike Naig and Choose Iowa for taking the time to visit! 🇺🇸🥛

Thanks to Otto Cattle Company for welcoming me to their farm today today. They are located near Ocheyedan and are members of Choose Iowa. They are marketing their high quality beef directly to consumers. I enjoyed learning about their farm and family and plans for the future. Enjoy some Iowa beef to close out Beef Month!

Was great to get a sneak peek of the Cherokee PRCA Rodeo this afternoon. Tonight is Family Night, so it’s a good time to take the kids out for some fun!

Thanks to Ramona Nitz for taking me around to visit folks!

Last week I chatted with Brownfield Ag News about the new Farm to Faucet Water Quality Package recently approved by the Iowa Legislature. You can listen to the interview.

“It totals $320 million over the next 12 years that we’re going to put into things like targeted conservation work upstream from the Des Moines metropolitan area and investing in nitrate reduction.” The package includes a $25 million grant to Central Iowa Water Works to expand infrastructure and double nitrate removal capacity within the next three years.

Secretary Naig praises Iowa water quality package
https://ottumwaradio.com/2026/05/secretary-naig-praises-iowa-water-quality-package/

This is the perfect opportunity to get out, take the backroads, and see more of Iowa. Along the way, you can meet the people behind your food and discover the farms and businesses that make our state special.

Just in time to enjoy a one-tank weekend road trip, sign up now for your FREE Choose Iowa Passport and discover Iowa farms, farmers markets, farm stands, farm-to-table restaurants, boutique shops and more! Start your journey at https://www.chooseiowa.com/chooseiowapassport

This announcement is tremendous news for Iowa and Iowa agriculture. We congratulate the city of Johnston, Polk County and the state partners who helped make this possible, and we welcome this new chapter for a company with deep and historic agricultural roots in our state.

This decision reinforces that Iowa is a welcoming place for businesses to invest and thrive. With a competitive tax and regulatory climate, a highly skilled workforce, and an environment for innovation, Iowa is built for growth.

Planting the headquarters here sends a strong signal to Iowa farmers that this company values being in the heart of agriculture and close to the customers it serves every day. I look forward to working alongside Vylor’s leadership to support Iowa farmers and strengthen our state’s agriculture community.

Returning to its Iowa roots, Corteva seed spinoff Vylor will move its headquarters to Johnston from Indianapolis, the company announces. See link below ⬇️

📸 Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register

What a fun visit to Grinnell High School today along with Senator Annette Sweeney! I enjoyed joining the school’s Culinary Arts program for their Teacher Appreciation Day lunch during May Beef Month.

I had the opportunity to spend time with students in the Culinary Arts 3 class helping prepare and serve a delicious Iowa beef meal featuring Italian beef sandwiches, fruit salad, and brownies for approximately 60 teachers. It was great to see these students gaining real-world culinary and nutrition experience while showcasing high-quality Iowa beef.

This event was made possible through the Iowa Beef Council Beef Grant Program, which helps schools incorporate beef nutrition education and hands-on culinary learning into the classroom. Through the program, schools can apply for grants of up to $750 to support beef-focused nutrition education, culinary projects, classroom supplies, and student learning opportunities.

Iowa’s cattlemen and cattlewomen work hard every day to provide safe, nutritious, high-quality food while supporting local communities and schools.

Partnerships like this — along with Choose Iowa — help connect students to agriculture and create meaningful learning experiences that highlight the important role Iowa agriculture plays in our daily lives.

Congrats to the Iowa Legislature for wrapping up their session today. My full statement below highlighting a great session of Iowa Ag 👇

Today, I was proud to join Governor Kim Reynolds and legislative leaders from both the Iowa Senate and House to announce a comprehensive water quality funding package that delivers real, long-term impact for Iowans. This plan unlocks $138 million in new funding and commits $319 million in water quality investments over the next 12 years.

These investments will support water quality efforts from the field to the faucet—helping farmers implement conservation practices, assisting communities with critical infrastructure upgrades, and ensuring safe, reliable drinking water for families across our state. The package provides meaningful financial assistance for small and mid-size communities to modernize water treatment systems, while also supporting both urban and rural conservation projects that improve water quality at the source.

Importantly, this plan includes a $25 million grant to Central Iowa Water Works to expand infrastructure and significantly increase nitrate removal capacity over the next three years.

This is what progress looks like: strong collaboration between state leaders, farmers, communities, and stakeholders all working toward a common goal. By continuing to invest strategically and work together, we can deliver measurable improvements in water quality while supporting a strong agriculture economy.