Natalie Dunlap
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Iowa Public Radio
Richard Tyler doesn’t know why he decided to purchase the Secrest Octagonal Barn in 1992; he just knew it was something he wanted to do.
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In 1973, Ron Rosmann gave up his plans to go to graduate school and moved back home to Westphalia to run the family farm. In 1973, he did something radical — he stopped using chemical inputs. Rosmann has been farming for more than 50 years, and he's one of the founding members of Practical Farmers of Iowa, a farmer-led community that focuses on sustainable agriculture. He joins us on this episode to talk about his book, 'A Practical Farmer's Journey: A History of Community, Stewardship and Resilience.' We also talk with Steve Hopkins, a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa and an innovator in regenerative agriculture and water conservation. -
Lawmakers in 13 states have proposed banning or restricting paraquat, a toxic herbicide that researchers have tied to an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. But efforts to outlaw it have failed across the Midwest. -
A new art installation in Des Moines will honor former Des Moines Water Works CEO Bill Stowe, who spent years advocating for better water quality in Iowa. The artwork doubles as an outdoor classroom, where people can learn about the threats to Iowa’s drinking water.
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U.S. Geological Survey researchers developed models to better understand the timing and sources contributing to nutrient pollution in streams and rivers. They say their findings can help guide efforts to improve water quality. -
A group of farmers say voluntary approaches to conservation are not delivering the scale of change needed to meet the state’s nutrient reduction goals. They’re calling for a new system of incentives and disincentives. -
Tariffs are squeezing Midwest households. On this episode, we talk about what that means for your grocery bill and Iowa's economy. First, we hear from Frank Manzo of the Midwest Economic Policy Institute on the impact of tariffs on Midwest household costs, manufacturing jobs and the GDP. Then, Ben Murrey of the Common Sense Institute offers his read on our economic outlook. He shares his insight on recent jobs and inflation, and manufacturing’s outsized contributions in Iowa. We also talk with Kyle McMahon of Tractor Zoom, who turned used-tractor pricing into a business.
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A new report identifies challenges to agricultural diversification in the Corn Belt and policy changes that could make it easier to grow different crops or integrate livestock and trees. -
A new campaign wants to make it harder to raise taxes in Iowa — background on what that constitutional amendment would actually do. Then, we hear from IPR's Rachel Kramer about why farm income is down more than half since 2022. We also talk with Kate Melloy Goettel of the University of Iowa Law School about why government wants to strip a naturalized Iowan's citizenship, discuss the AI model that forecasts nitrate spikes in Iowa's river with University of Iowa professor Jesus Gomez Velez, and more.
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In 2023, the Iowa Legislature overhauled our property tax system with overwhelming bipartisan support. Part of that overhaul changed the way that many Iowa libraries and museums are funded, and the consequences of that change are making themselves known. On this episode, we talk with Billie Bailey, the retired executive director of the Grout Museum District in Waterloo, and Cindy Wells, president of the Board of Trustees for the Waterloo Public Library. Over 90% of the affected libraries and museums are at risk of budget cuts before the end of the 5-year sunset period, according to a report compiled by Bailey and Wells. Then, when tractors replaced horse-drawn implements, it revolutionized agriculture, and competition among tractor makers was fierce. We talk with Peter Tubbs, producer of Tractor Wars and Tractor Wars II from Iowa PBS, which tells that story. (Iowa PBS is an underwriter of IPR.)
