Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, visited Wooden Wheel Vineyards in Keota on Friday, as part of his 99 County Tour.

Naig, who was sworn into his second term last week, spoke with KCII about the purpose of the tour. “I get around and travel to all 99 counties every year, trying to get into different kinds of businesses,” he said. “We’ve been talking a lot in the last year about local foods and Iowa-made products. This being a good Iowa winery, [we’re] wanting to come and hear about their experience, some of the challenges they might be having or what’s working well.”

After speaking with Mike and Connie Vincent, owners of Wooden Wheel Vineyards, Naig toured the winery and explained how he plans to use the information he gains throughout his visits. “We’re trying to incorporate all of that into our efforts to launch Choose Iowa, which is a new state brand for Iowa-grown, Iowa-made products.”

Since first being elected in 2018, Naig has led Choose Iowa to build pride around Iowa agriculture and support the producers across the state.

Naig plans to continue his tour throughout the year, with hopes to complete the mission by late fall.