Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“The fertilizer impact on the state is going to be significant. We’ve already got a farm economy that’s financially tremendously pressured.” — Steve Kuiper, vice president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and a farmer south of Knoxville, on the impact of the Iran war on Iowa’s farmers.
While many Iowa farmers bought their spring fertilizer last fall, before the Iran war started, the effects of high oil prices are still putting pressure on an already strained farm economy, producers say. (Photo courtesy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Iowa farmers this growing season are changing practices as they feel the pressure of a declining farm economy.
While they said farming pressures have been worsening for years, it’s especially acute now with double-digit increases of fertilizer prices due to the Iran war and soaring oil prices spurred by the Strait of Hormuz closure.
Rep. Steven Holt, right, speaks with Western Iowa Tech Community College students and faculty on March 3, 2026 at the Iowa Capitol. Legislation passed this session to change property tax caps and the 260E job training program are causing community colleges to start planning for less revenue growth. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa’s community colleges are bracing for less revenue from property taxes and shorter-term partnerships with area businesses as legislation passed just a few weeks ago awaits the governor’s signature.
Emily Shields, executive director of Community Colleges for Iowa, said financial impacts of property tax changes approved by the Legislature could come in as high as $30 million over the next five years.
THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
As thousands of students walk the stage this week to receive their diplomas, some may be facing a slower-to-hire job market.
Candidates Josh Turek and Zach Wahls sparred Thursday during the second U.S. Senate Democratic primary debate on issues like reproductive healthcare and how to best achieve their policy goals if elected.
Summit Carbon Solutions announced Wednesday it is altering the route of its proposed pipeline across Iowa to help “accelerate progress” on the project.
Access to healthcare and changes to the U.S. immigration system were among the top issues for all three of the Democrats running for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District during a debate Wednesday hosted by KCRG-TV9 and KWQC.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said a measure she signed into law Tuesday on charter school funding and homeschool rules are “yet another step to put students first” in the state as part of Republicans’ “school choice” agenda.
Early voting kicked off Wednesday, May 13 for the 2026 primary elections in Iowa.
Torturing a companion animal will be charged as a felony in Iowa under a measure signed into law Monday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
An Iowa nursing home worker who was criminally charged with repeatedly ignoring her colleagues’ requests to check on a resident and with falsifying records about the incident is now facing the temporary suspension of her nursing license.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in Des Moines Sunday, called for Iowans to bring state Sen. Zach Wahls to the U.S. Senate to help Democrats take on “corruption” in Washington.
The federal student loan system is set to see a dramatic overhaul beginning this summer, and critics warn it likely will make loans more expensive and difficult to obtain for borrowers — driving them to private lenders or altering their plans for higher education.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune joined Rep. Ashley Hinson for a roundtable in Des Moines Friday touting how tax law changes passed by the GOP-controlled Congress in 2025 are helping Iowa families, workers and business owners.
A pregnant, homeless asylum-seeker in Des Moines is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over its alleged failure to grant her authorization to work in the United States.
NEWS FROM THE MIDWEST AND IOWA'S NEIGHBORS
School choice option at standstill as legislators weigh benefits, political fallout | Capitol News Illinois
Indiana unveils Medicaid overhaul aimed at pressuring hospitals to lower prices | Indiana Capital Chronicle
Extreme temperature swings, disease lead to troublesome Kansas wheat outlook | Kansas Reflector
Court of Claims puts a hold on funds for upgrades at two Michigan ballparks | Michigan Advance
Minnesota Legislature passes massive cash infusion for rental, mortgage assistance | Minnesota Reformer
Missouri clerks say they still can’t update voter rolls for gerrymandered map | Missouri Independent
Pillen assures safety as Nebraska hosts passengers from hantavirus-hit ship | Nebraska Examiner
Summit carbon pipeline rerouted to storage site in Wyoming; North Dakota future unclear | North Dakota Monitor
Ohio judges question why taxpayers fund private school tuition | Ohio Capital Journal
Summit describes new carbon pipeline route as not including South Dakota | South Dakota Searchlight
Law firm sues after governor rejects demand to scrap conversion therapy ban | Wisconsin Examiner
FEDERAL FALLOUT
States Newsroom relentlessly reports on how changes at the federal level are affecting people at the state level — and how state governments are responding in this volatile political climate. We post new stories each day; here are just a few:
ICE ‘noncompliant’ with court order to stop illegal warrantless arrests in Colorado, judge says | Colorado Newsline
The lone forest ranger | Wyofile
State looks to dismiss lawsuit over Jackson ARPA funds | Mississippi Today
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