As part of his annual visits to every Iowa county, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig made several stops in northeast Iowa on Wednesday (04.16), including Joia Food and Fiber Farm, just west of Charles City.
Naig saluted Wendy Joia for being a great example of a generation that came back into farming.
Naig adds Choose Iowa producers are giving consumers more of what they want.
Naig says they continue to work to increase markets for Choose Iowa operators like Joia.
Choose Iowa, the state’s signature brand for Iowa grown, Iowa raised, Iowa made food, beverages, and ag products, launched in 2023. Wendy Joia says they were one of the first to join the program, which now boasts over 250 members.
Joia has been in business since 2014 and now has customers from as far away as Hawaii.
Naig’s stops on Wednesday also included visits to Upper Iowa Beef in Lime Springs and the Waucoma Event Center for the annual meeting of Homeland Energy Solutions ethanol plant of Lawler.
