Iowa Farmers Union

05/29/2026

American farmers and ranchers are facing a perfect storm right now: rising fuel and fertilizer costs, the Iran war, tariffs, and drought.

For a medium-sized farm, that's about $20,000 in increased costs this year alone. "So many farmers are reporting that they're kind of on the brink of a crisis situation," says Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union.

The White House has promised aid and trade deals, but farmers aren't seeing concrete solutions yet. "They hear some vague news and vague promises, and then there's nothing concrete about it," Aaron says.

Listen to the full story from Marketplace:

Across the U.S., farmers and ranchers are struggling to weather a growing season plagued by drought, high prices, and a trade war.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Today at 12:30 pm CT! Join Iowa Farmers Union and Matt Hildreth from RuralOrganizing.org for a conversation about rural Iowa heading into the primary election.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WKbrlk3AT8G9fkX82K8xxQ

Iowa's primary election is next week. What issues matter most to rural voters? And what patterns are we seeing across rural America? This Thursday, May 28, at 12:30 pm CT, join us for a conversation with Matt Hildreth, Executive Director of RuralOrganizing.org, about the rural landscape heading into...

05/27/2026

Iowa's primary election is next week. What issues matter most to rural voters? What's at stake for rural communities?

This Thursday at 12:30 pm CT, join Iowa Farmers Union for a conversation with Matt Hildreth, Executive Director of RuralOrganizing.org, about the rural landscape heading into the election and what it takes to rebuild rural America.

Matt grew up on a small farm in South Dakota and has spent his career on rural revitalization and community organizing. He'll discuss the issues rural voters care about and what's at stake in Iowa.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WKbrlk3AT8G9fkX82K8xxQ

05/22/2026

Reminder! Mark your calendars for Iowa Farmers Union's annual Barn Party on Saturday, July 25, from 4:00-7:00 PM at Big Oak Barn in Elkhart.

Join us for food, music, and community as we celebrate the Iowa Farmers Union membership. All are welcome. Non-members are invited to join IFU at the door.

RSVP: https://iowafarmersunion.org/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=80

05/21/2026

05/21/2026

Today at 12:30 pm CT! Join Iowa Farmers Union and Chelsea Lynn from ISU Extension for a conversation about futuring Iowa's food system and the upcoming Iowa Farm & Food Conference.

Register here:

What does the future of Iowa's food system look like, and how do we build it? This Thursday, May 21, from 12:30 to 1 pm CT, join us for a conversation with Chelsea Lynn, Education Extension Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, about building resilient local food systems and....

05/20/2026

What does the future of Iowa's food system look like, and how do we build it?

This Thursday at 12:30 pm CT, join Iowa Farmers Union for a conversation with Chelsea Lynn, Education Extension Specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, about building resilient local food systems and the upcoming Iowa Farm & Food Conference (June 11-12 in Waterloo).

This year's conference theme is "Futuring our Food System" — imagining bold possibilities and taking the steps to get there. The conference brings together farmers, educators, food entrepreneurs, and community leaders from across Iowa's food system.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QtH8fvkhRoe3prDb8z0FVw

05/19/2026

The U.S. House passed a bill allowing year-round sales of E15 gasoline. IFU Executive Director Matt Russell spoke with KWQC about what it means for Iowa farmers.

"The vote was, we're going to stand with farmers and biofuels against the oil industry," Russell said. "We're going to have to see whether that gets passed in the Senate, and is the Trump administration actually going to follow through on supporting biofuels over the oil industry?"

Russell also noted that while Iowa's state legislature provided some additional supports for farmers, "they are minuscule compared to the federal funds that were cut in the last year. The programs that worked with schools and worked with food banks to buy food directly from farmers, those dollars have never come back."

Watch the full story:

The U.S. House has passed a bill that would allow year-round sales of E15 gasoline across the country. Supporters say the ethanol blend could boost demand for corn and help farmers during a tough time for agriculture.

05/18/2026

Fridays can be a slow news day. Not for IFU.

Last Friday was just another typical day: We connected a Western Iowa farmer with CBS News about Chinese soybean imports. We did an interview with a Quad Cities TV station on E-15. We connected a north central Iowa farmer to The Hill about what President Trump's trip to China means for American farmers. And we helped PBS NewsHour talk with a farming family about cancer in Iowa.

This is what IFU does: we respond to media inquiries and connect IFU members to share authentic, personal stories about how Iowa farmers react to and shape the news.

If you want to make sure independent family farmers have a voice, join us. And if you're a farmer ready to speak up, become a member and be part of the team that stands with diversified, family farmers and ranchers, especially when powerful lobbyists and global companies are trying to tell a different story about American farms, ranches, and rural communities.

Join IFU today: https://iowafarmersunion.org