Former Iowa governors Terry Branstad and Tom Vilsack joined former U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Quinn to mark 20 years of the Iowa Hunger Summit and its bipartisan work to address food insecurity.
owa will stop using Social Security survivor benefits to help pay foster care costs and will instead preserve the money for eligible children to use in the future.
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 21, 2026 New modeling from the U.S. Geological Survey shows nutrient loads in rivers across the nation increased between 2000 and 2020, largely due to nutrients stored in the landscape from past seasons and current season agriculture nutrient applications. The research, according to USGS, shows why “water‑quality improvements […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 20, 2026 Temperatures across Iowa were, on average, more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit above the climatological normal over the past week, and the statewide average precipitation was near zero according to the weather and crop report from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for July 13 […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 13, 2026 After several weeks trailing last year’s pace and the five-year average, corn development in Iowa has jumped ahead according to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the report, 38% of Iowa corn acres were silking as of […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 8, 2026 A report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources shows Iowa had 36 nitrate-related drinking water violations in 2025, which is more than double the number reported in 2024. Each year, DNR submits a compliance report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency detailing violations of federal […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 7, 2026 Volunteers across Iowa conducted nearly 500 bumble bee atlas surveys in 2025, which was more than three times the number of surveys conducted the year prior. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting several field days in July to help train volunteers who want to […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 1, 2026 U.S. Department of Agriculture staffing cuts in 2025 have left county-level service offices understaffed, according to an analysis of federal data from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. The report found that Iowa lost nearly 19% of its Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, staff and 8% […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 30, 2026 Many of the laws advanced during the 2026 legislative session take effect Wednesday, including measures restricting access to abortion-inducing medication, increasing the speed limit on two-lane highways and limiting future governors’ powers during public health and disaster emergencies. July 1, the beginning of the state’s fiscal […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 30, 2026 The environmental group Food & Water Watch is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to supply requested information about a nitrate assessment. Food & Water Watch allege the “apparently scuttled” assessment would have provided EPA with the research necessary to update drinking water standards […]
