Contractors say they have enough local labor to detassel Nebraska’s seed corn but they’re losing work to migrant workers on H-2A visas. A 2024 law attempted to increase transparency in detasseling.

Iowa farmers are seeing a drop in their income. Economists say one of the last indicators of a failing farm economy is land prices. A recent land auction gives a view into whether people on the ground level are worried.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in July allocated $170 billion for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation. Some agricultural organizations and programs have issued guidance for farmers who employ foreign workers.

A new report examines Iowa farmers’ awareness and opinions related to the state’s strategy to cut nutrient runoff in waterways. The majority support more conservation, but their numbers have softened over the last decade.

While U.S. corn production and exports are on track to break records, sales for soybeans are down and prices for both commodities sit below production costs.

Industry experts say demand for locally raised meat is high, but processing is often a bottleneck. State grants from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship aim to widen the middle of the supply chain.

The USDA said it will invest up to $18 million into a program that makes connections between schools and local farmers after canceling the program in March. The announcement was made alongside the release of the Make America Healthy Again report.

Some programs that help low-income Iowans access healthy foods are at risk after federal SNAP-Ed funding was eliminated in the major tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last month.

A fungal disease that can cut corn yields in half in severe cases has been detected in at least 40 counties in Iowa. Strong winds and a hot, humid summer have helped southern rust spread earlier and farther this year.

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service announced last week that it will cut the Regional Food Business Center program, which provides grants to small and medium-sized local farm and food businesses.