Tariffs imposed by Trump have also hit Iowa farmers hard. China, a major buyer of soybeans, reduced purchases, forcing farmers to scramble for buyers as prices fell.
>>> Nigerian Troops Kill Over 300 Bandits in Zamfara Operation
The war with Iran drove up costs for fertilizer, gasoline, and diesel.
Before the conflict, Iowa’s farm economy was already strained: 18 farms declared bankruptcy in 2025, a 220% increase from the previous year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Unreliable USDA and Lost Opportunities
Farmers describe a department that has become unreliable.
Nisly was awarded a grant for refrigerated trucks under the USDA’s Resilient Food System Infrastructure program, but the funds were frozen three days after his first purchase.
They were later unfrozen, but the experience was “nerve-racking.”
Carly McAndrews, a vegetable farmer in Iowa City, went to her local USDA office to apply for $1 billion in assistance for specialty crops announced earlier this year.
“Nobody knew how to help me, because they had just learned about it from the Trump administration, but the deadline was that Friday, so it was like a functionless program,” she said.
A USDA spokesperson said the department “has experienced no lapse in service to the American people” and that employees “continue to deliver high‑quality services and programs without interruption.”
For Rogers, the loss of the fellowship was devastating. She still has access to her plot until December, but without the instruction she needed.
>>> Toyota's Mid-Engine MR2 Nears Production, Hidden in GR Yaris Prototype
“I have never had a decision on such a level impact my life literally overnight in such a drastic way,” she said.
