We continued with a heavy debate schedule this week as we approach the second funnel date where our House bills must be passed to the Senate. On Wednesday of this week, the Environmental Protection Committee that I chair and the Health and Human Services committee held a joint meeting so that ...
Please join our Mid-Iowa Youth Beef Team to observe National Ag Day on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with the theme of “Together We Grow” as we celebrate 250 years of agriculture progress. Agriculture producers have made great progress in their production since the 1960s. Today, cattlemen ...
As we celebrate Ag Week in Iowa, March 23-30, 2026, and look ahead to America’s 250th anniversary, we are reminded strong communities don’t come from any one person or one farm — they grow when people show up for each other. As a farmer, we see every day how closely agriculture and our ...
Q: How are you working to address uncertainty in the farm economy? A: With planting season around the corner, I’m hearing a message loud and clear from Iowa farmers. High input costs are hammering their bottom lines. Rising diesel prices add fuel to a fire already burning brightly in the ...
‘Meskwaki Nation Does Not Pay Property Tax, and That Isn’t Fair!’ Does this sound familiar? It may not sound familiar if you don’t live near Indian Country. I live in Tama County, Iowa. Tama County is home to the only federally recognized tribe in Iowa. I have heard this statement or ...
When you see a freight train chugging along the tracks, we rarely think about what that train is carrying. But a freight train is an integral piece of our transportation infrastructure, especially here in Iowa. From grain and fertilizer to ethanol and machinery, reliable rail service supports ...
Ten years ago, I was the lead sponsor on legislation that created an “Address Confidentiality Program” here in Iowa. The Iowa Legislature unanimously passed this law, creating Iowa’s Safe at Home program – a bipartisan effort to protect survivors of violent crimes. Administered by the ...
That damn socialist mayor out in New York threatened to hike property taxes by 9.5% unless he can ram through a wealth tax. Wait a New York minute: Property taxes on our humble metal shed along Railroad Street shot up more than 70% this year. Potholes pock the streets and we can barely afford ...
A recently released U.S. House farm bill proposal underinvests in proven solutions farmers rely on to cut fertilizer waste, protect drinking water and reduce climate pollution, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). With mounting financial pressures on farmers, lawmakers should ...
I started my career in rural Iowa in 1974 as an English, speech and reading teacher. Our students were top performers and the state’s education system was the gold standard. Educators and public schools in general were revered and respected by their communities. We didn’t have a lot of ...