Op-Ed

On Saturday August 10th, the Iowa State Fair set an all-time single-day attendance record — more than 128,000 people walked through the gates to spend quality time with family, friends, and neighbors and participate in this time-honored Iowa tradition.

This year, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major blow to the federal bureaucracy.

One of the best parts of my job representing Iowa in Congress is meeting with familiar faces on Capitol Hill. It’s a reminder of why I am grateful to serve our families, farmers, businesses, and rural communities – a responsibility that I take very seriously. The other week, I had the chance to do just that when the Sioux Center Chamber of Commerce made the trip out to Washington, D.C.

The American economy is powered by small businesses. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), there are over 33 million small businesses nationwide that employ more than 61 million Americans – accounting for nearly 46% of all U.S. employees and more than 43% of our nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Over the last few years, the agriculture economy has taken a turn for the worse. Commodity prices have fallen below producers’ break-even points, our agricultural trade deficit has eclipsed $43 billion, farm debt stands at a record $540 billion, and inflation combined with high interest rates continue to squeeze profit margins.

There are many reasons to pass the Farm Bill this year. Prices for corn, soybeans, and other commodities have fallen well below producers’ break-even point, over 100 million birds – including turkeys, broilers, and layers – have been infected by bird flu since 2022, and net farm income is estimated to fall by $10.2 billion this year alone.

The other week, I spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Marshalltown on my 36 County Tour. I had the opportunity to tour this incredible facility and speak with members of the community who assisted in making this project possible.

In a major blow to Iowa farmers and biofuel producers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that it expects to finalize biofuel blending volumes for 2026, 2027, and 2028 at the end of 2025 – more than a year after federal law requires.