Making his 39th annual 99-county tour, US Senator Charles Grassley checked Greene County off of that list Wednesday.

The Republican from New Hartford visited Bauer Built Manufacturing in Paton. He toured the facility and then took questions from employees. On the topic of getting a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in place with Canada and Mexico, Grassley believed it needs to be done quickly and then the steel and aluminum tariffs need to drop off just as fast. He said if a new NAFTA deal doesn’t happen, it would ruin trading with other countries, including China.

As for trade talks with China, Grassley thinks a new agreement will be finalized in the coming weeks as the Chinese government is interested in getting back into the market for soybeans and corn, along with committing to purchasing ethanol. Grassley voiced his opinion as to the other positives the new agreement would bring.

“I think the farmers are going to be on ‘status quo’ with China like they were before the tariffs. But I think it’s going to be a tremendous help for our services and manufacturing.”

Other topics Grassley addressed from the employees were civility in Congress and the Electoral College. The other stops Grassley had on Wednesday were in Council Bluffs, Glenwood and Carroll.