Iowa’s farmers and food producers are facing a crisis that’s been brewing behind the scenes at the US Department of Agriculture. Since President Donald Trump took office and his number two billionaire Elon Musk has been taking a club to federal programs, the consequences have been mounting.
And now Iowa food growers are left with the bill.
The USDA has frozen nearly $7 million in promised funding, leaving hundreds of local farms and food businesses in limbo during the critical spring planting season.
On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith speaks with Giselle Bruskewitz of Iowa Valley RC&D a group that administers the entire program that was to help build more resilient foodways, but now is leaving a lot of Iowans in the cold.
“It’s a slap in the face. It’s really devastating. It’s the 11th hour. It’s past the 11th hour for some. The produce farmers already have seeds coming up in the greenhouses. The meat farmers have already booked locker dates,” Burskewitz said. “And so the sales projections and what these farmers have been planning all winter for this growing season is now putting them in a really precarious situation where they have to either find other markets.”
Join the conversation with Starting Line’s community editor Amie Rivers and Zach as they break down the what bills are dead and which bills shouldn’t be.
Links:
1. Iowa lawmakers introduced 1,500+ bills this session. Which survived the ‘funnel’ deadline? (Des Moines Register): https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/09/iowa-legislature-2025-funnel-week-dei-ban-medicaid-work-requirements-vaccines-abortion/78026470007/
2. Here are the bills that advanced during the Iowa Legislature’s first deadline of 2025 (Iowa Public Radio): https://www.iowapublicradio.org/state-government-news/2025-03-07/here-are-the-bills-that-advanced-during-the-iowa-legislatures-first-deadline-of-2025
3. What bills are still moving at the Iowa Capitol this year? (The Gazette): https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/what-bills-still-are-moving-at-the-iowa-capitol-this-year/
Guest:
Giselle Bruskewitz is the program director at Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development.
Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Iowans and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at Iowa Starting Line has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Iowan families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
WATCH: This day in history: Anti-gay media personality Anita Bryant pied in Des Moines
On this day in 1977, gay rights activist Thom Higgins pied anti-gay media personality Anita Bryant at a press conference in Des Moines. Bryant was...
WATCH: Protestors chant ‘quit your job’ at ICE officers in Cedar Rapids
This video was posted to social media amid a growing presence of ICE across the nation. Follow Iowa Starting Line for more.
WATCH: How Iowans can push back this Banned Books Week
Have a favorite banned book? Share it with us in the comments! We promise not to report you to Kim Reynolds.
WATCH: UnityPoint spends millions on union-busting instead of safer workplace policies
Nearly 2,000 nurses at UnityPoint Health are unionizing in what is considered the largest union effort in Iowa's history. They're also facing a...
WATCH: Trump float booed at Iowa City homecoming parade
Parade attendees expressed their frustration amid immigration crackdowns in Iowa.
WATCH: Long-term impacts of Iowa’s abortion ban
New data reported by abortion providers show the impacts of Iowa's six-week abortion ban have been felt far and wide.
