USDA

Over 60,000 Iowans participate in WIC, which provides food assistance, nutrition education and counseling to new and expecting mothers and children under 5. The state has indicated it will maintain services, but long-term funding is uncertain.

The quarterly Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade used to include data tables of imports and exports, plus a written analysis. But the last two reports have only included the data, leaving readers to do guesswork on the trends behind the numbers.

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.

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.

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.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ summer food program for children that is meant to replace Summer EBT got off to a rocky start this month, according to food bank and pantry officials tasked with distributing food for Healthy Kids Iowa.

A federal judge in Iowa ruled against a landholding company that sought to dismantle a long-standing wetlands law called swampbuster.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has requested a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to limit what foods are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Iowa. If approved, SNAP participants would not be able to buy food products subject to sales tax in the state.

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to provide “healthy” foods for low-income Iowa kids over the summer, instead of sending their families money for food, has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Global Greens helps former refugee and immigrant farmers grow and sell food in Iowa. With federal funding freezes, cuts and uncertainty, staff are exploring new ways to bring in dollars.