| An Iowa native, Senator Annette Sweeney grew up on a family farm near Buckeye. After graduating from college, she educated middle school students as a teacher of English and speech. Upon her father's untimely death in 1983, Senator Sweeney moved back home to Buckeye to the family farm with her mother and sister. After 40 years of operating the family farm, she and her husband passed the farm down to their son and his wife. Senator Sweeney still enjoys spending time out on the farm helping her son.
Senator Sweeney has deep connections to Iowa's agriculture community. During her time as a state representative, Sweeney served as chair of the Iowa House Agriculture Committee before going on to serve as Iowa Rural Development Director for the United States Department of Agriculture.
Senator Sweeney has served in numerous professional and community leadership positions with various organizations, including the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Iowa Women in Agriculture, Hardin County Assessor Board and Review, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Cattlemen's Association, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Iowa 4-H, and Iowa Angus Association. |