Pork exec gives $25K to Governor Reynolds; company got virus aid

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -An owner of a large pork production company that disproportionately benefited from an Iowa coronavirus aid program donated $25,000 to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ campaign last month.

Mary Ann Christensen is a board member of Christensen Farms, one of the nation’s largest family-owned pork producers. The $25,000 campaign donation she gave Reynolds was among the largest that Reynolds received in 2020 and far more than the $1,000 that Christensen gave the governor in 2017.

Christensen Farms received $1.86 million in 2020 through the Iowa Disposal Assistance Program, which was 72% of the pandemic aid awarded in its first rounds.

The program reimbursed farmers who euthanized their hogs after COVID-19 disrupted their supply chain.