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 […]
Popular statewide cover crop cost-share program complements recent Farm to Faucet conservation investments in the Greater Des Moines Watershed DES MOINES, Iowa (July 7, 2026) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today encouraged Iowa farmers and landowners who are planning to seed cover crops this fall to enroll in the state’s annual Cover Crop […]
DES MOINES, Iowa (July 6, 2026) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this […]
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% […]
Applications can now be submitted for grants that will help train new or current workers. DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) is now officially accepting applications for Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP’D) Iowa, a new statewide training grant that will help develop a more skilled and competitive workforce in Iowa’s advanced manufacturing industry. […]
DES MOINES– Governor Kim Reynolds has appointed Elizabeth Lee as a District Associate Judge in Judicial District 8A. Lee, of Ottumwa, Iowa, serves as Assistant Wapello County Attorney. She received her undergraduate degree from University of Iowa and law degree from University of Iowa College of Law. Lee fills a newly created District Associate […]
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 […]
OSKALOOSA — Iowa drivers are adjusting to a new default speed limit on many rural paved roads after Senate File 378 took effect July 1. The law raised Iowa’s default speed limit from 55 mph to 60 mph on roads where a different speed limit has not been set. The change mainly affects two-lane paved […]
