Left: Former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge with Bruce Rastetter, the organizer of the Iowa Ag Summit, at the reception. Right: One of the many Iowa Caucus artifacts on display at the 801 Steak & Chop House.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad welcomed reporters to Des Moines at a reception at the 801 Steak & Chop House, a Des Moines establishment made famous by a 2004 story in The New York Times in connection with the Iowa presidential caucuses.

The reception was sponsored by America’s Renewable Future, which is co-chaired by former state Rep. Annette Sweeney, a Republican and Alden, Iowa, agribusinesswoman, and former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, an Albia, Iowa, Democrat who also was elected to two terms as as the state’s secretary of Agriculture.

Iowa renewable fuels industry leader Bill Couser, a Nevada area cattle producer, is ARF’s third co-chair.

“Our goal is to ensure that commonsense biofuels policies are back in the spotlight on the 2016 campaign trail and discussed by candidates as they travel Iowa and the nation,” said ARF state director Eric Branstad.

The 801 Steak & Chop House reception featured a lot of food on sticks. As one reporter observed, “There’s a lot of protein here.”

The New York Times — The 2004 Campaign: The Place to Be Seen in Des Moines