DES MOINES, Iowa—On February 11, Boone County extension council member Kimberly Rinker met with Iowa legislators at the Iowa Extension Council Association legislative breakfast held at Capitol Building in Des Moines. She joined other county extension council members and supporters from across the state to show the real impact ISU Extension and Outreach makes in Iowa communities. Extension council members shared an impact report for each county in the legislator’s district as well as ISU Extension and Outreach’s 2024 Statewide Impact Report. “The focus of the day was to share that Extension and Outreach is having real impact in our communities,” according to Jennifer Vit, IECA Executive Director. “It was a refreshingly positive conversation with legislators about what’s happening in their districts, despite this tense political climate.”

The event was sponsored by the Iowa Extension Council Association and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The Iowa Extension Council Association represents 900 elected extension council members across the state. At the local level, county extension councils function as the legal body and are the local partners with Iowa State University (Extension and Outreach) and the USDA. They identify needs in their local communities and help meet those needs with Extension programming to create impact.