Iowa Farmers Are Speaking Up for the Future of Agriculture

Across Iowa, farmers are speaking out about what’s at stake for them—and for our food and fuel supply.

From every corner of the state, the message is consistent and urgent: the tools they rely on are essential to doing their jobs, protecting their land, and keeping food affordable for families across the country.

For farmers, the risk of losing these tools is not about politics. These tools are essential to their bottom line and productivity in their fields. Without crop protection tools, farmers could lose up to 40% or more of their crops to pests and weeds, making it much harder to stay profitable and keep food and fuel affordable.

Crop protection tools are also essential for their stewardship. They make it possible to reduce tillage, use cover crops to improve soil health, and conserve water. They help farmers grow more with fewer resources, while maintaining the high standards that consumers expect.

But increasingly, farmers are facing uncertainty due to shifting legal and regulatory pressures that conflict with long-standing, science-based determinations.

When the rules become unclear, farmers lose confidence. It becomes harder to make long-term decisions about what to plant, how to manage the land, and changes needed to stay economically viable in an already challenging environment. And when that happens, the impacts don’t stop at the farm; they ripple through the entire food and fuel systems—affecting prices at the grocery store and at the pump.

Iowa farmers understand what’s at stake. Their voices reflect both pride in what they do and concern about where things are headed without policy clarity.

The takeaway is simple: If we want a domestic ag system that is safe, affordable, and sustainable, we need to listen to the people who make it possible.