Iowa
Iowa lawmakers react to Trump tariffs, set to go into effect Saturday
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Iowa’s agriculture industry could see the impacts of tariffs that President Donald Trump said he will impose as soon as Saturday.
Shortly after Trump was elected in November, he announced a plan for 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, and 10 percent tariffs on imports from China. Now, those tariffs are expected to go into effect Feb. 1.
Trump has said the tariffs are aimed at pressuring Canada and Mexico to stop the flow of migrants and fentanyl crossing their borders into the United States. Economists have said the new tariffs could increase taxes and decrease economic output.
Iowa State University agricultural economist Chad Hart said adding Mexico and Canada into the mix could make things even more difficult for the state’s agriculture industry — which has faced low commodity prices and declining farm income — should the countries decide to retaliate with their own trade measures.
Hart noted that agriculture is one of this country’s major export industries, and Canada and Mexico are some of the biggest importers of products produced in Iowa, including soybeans and pork.
“Mexico alone would create some big hits to Iowa agriculture, throwing Canada on top of that,” Hart said. “That’s why there’s been such concern about these tariffs moving forward here, we do know that it will create some economic damages that show up for Iowa farmers.”
In 2023, 30 percent of Iowa’s total goods exports were to Canada, with the state exporting $5.5 billion in goods to the country.
Iowa Republicans: Tariffs are Trump’s ‘negotiation tactic’
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says Trump is committed to farmers and she will continue to stay in contact with his administration about the impacts.
“President Trump has already used tariffs as an undeniably successful negotiation tactic with foreign trade partners,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Colombia backed down from the President’s threat of 25 percent tax on imports and are now accepting the return of illegal immigrants who invaded our country.”
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said she believes Trump’s tariffs will stop the flow of fentanyl across the borders.
“After the Biden administration created a record $45.5 billion agricultural trade deficit, President Trump is working to make sure Americans are getting the best deal and stopping the flow of fentanyl that has hurt our communities,” Ernst said in a statement. “I will always listen to Iowans and bring their ideas to the President.”
Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, said the tariffs echo negotiating tactics Trump used during his first term in office.
“The way I look at it, it’s nothing he didn’t do the first term. He uses it for negotiating tactics,” Durham said. “So at this point, I couldn’t pinpoint anything that’s going to have an effect one way or another.”
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley describes himself as a “free trader” and said he doesn’t believe in tariffs but understands Trump uses them as bargaining chips.
“I think the tactic is questionable but I am not going to bad mouth Trump’s approach,” Grassley said during a call with Iowa radio networks on Jan. 21. “I’m going to sit and see how it works out, I hope he’s successful.”
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said the tariffs will hurt manufacturing jobs, raise consumer prices, lower grain markets and increase Iowans’ taxes.
“Looks like Donald Trump is once again betting the farm on risky trade war policies,” she said in a statement. “Between falling incomes and layoffs in the ag economy, now is not the time to be levying tariffs on allies like Canada. This does not look like using tariffs as a ‘last resort’ as some in our congressional delegation have cautioned. Let’s not forget that once tariffs are in place, they are difficult to remove.
Trump’s use of tariffs this presidency seems to be occurring at a quicker pace than his last term, Chad Hart said, noting the president has a better understanding of which “levers to pull.” He says these quick changes are creating challenges for people who work in Iowa’s agriculture industry as they try to determine what tariffs will look like in the coming years.
“A big challenge for everybody right now is trying to figure out what tariffs may be coming, when they may be here, when they may be taken off. How might that happen?” Hart said. “There’s just a lot of unknowns here, and it can move very quickly, given the speed at which President Trump is moving.”
With June rapidly finishing up, that means the Iowa high school softball season is preparing to enter the stretch run of the year.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Softball Tournament will begin Monday, July 20, in Fort Dodge at Rogers Park, bringing together many of the top teams and players in the state. High School On SI Iowa currently provides a Top 25 state softball power rankings, so now, we need to see who the top players are.
Below are the nominees for the High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Softball Midseason Player of the Year in each classification. Stats listed with the player are from Bound and based on those numbers imputed as of June 26, 2026 at noon CT.
Feel free to vote as many times as you like, with voting set to close on Friday, July 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Softball Midseason Player Of The Year Nominees
Rachel Eglseder, Edgewood-Colesburg, Senior
Eglseder owns a 16-5 record, striking out 225 batters with a 1.66 earned run average while adding 11 extra-base hits and 40 RBI at the plate.
Rylee Mudderman, Kee, Junior
Mudderman continues to be a difficult out, batting .488 this season with two homers, 11 doubles and four triples. She has driven in 38 and scored 35 times, stealing 10 bases.
Faith Shirbroun, St. Edmond, Senior
Speaking of tough outs, Shirbroun owns a batting average of .606 this season, recording seven homers, 17 doubles and five triples. She has driven in 36 and scored 37 times, stealing 22 bases while setting several school records for hitting.
Sydney Lovrien, Clarksville, Senior
The ace for the defending state champions, Lovrien is 13-5 with 100 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. She also has 23 hits and 21 RBI at the plate.
Sam Kruckenberg, Mason City Newman Catholic, Senior
A veteran now, Kruckenberg owns an 18-4 record with 227 strikeouts and a 1.23 earned run average. She is batting .440 with five homers, 11 doubles and 23 RBI at the plate.
About Our Midseason Player of the Year Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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The Iowa chapter of the Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA) officially opened a new facility on its 80-acre demonstration farm in Marshall County Thursday.
Iowa LICA President Scott Bohle said having classroom and meeting space will make it easier to educate the next generation of professional contractors, along with government employees, lawmakers and students, to help conserve soil and water in the state.
Bohle said the building “gives people a place to gather, collaborate and continue the important work that defines our association.”
Just outside the new space are wetlands, terraces, sediment control basins, bioreactors and other features, which members have built since LICA purchased the farm near Melbourne in 2000.
“We call it the one-stop shop, where you can see anything being put to practice by our landowners,” said Kelby Kiefer, executive director of Iowa LICA.
Together, these “edge-of-field” practices remove 50% of phosphates and almost 100% of the nitrates from the runoff of a 1,000-plus acre watershed, according to the association.
Adding more wetlands, saturated buffers and bioreactors across the state are a key part of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. It aims to cut nitrogen and phosphorus losses from farm fields by 41% and 29%, respectively.
The strategy is part of a broader effort to reduce nutrient pollution in the state’s waterways and the Gulf of Mexico by 45% compared to the 1980-96 baseline period. It does not include a target date.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the state has accelerated edge-of-field practices in recent years, in part through the Batch and Build model. The approach bundles projects in a targeted watershed to reduce costs and save time for farmers and contractors.
Nearly 150 nitrate reducing wetlands and around 500 saturated buffers, bioreactors and multi-purpose oxbows had been built in the state as of 2024. Thousands more will be needed to meet the state’s nutrient reduction targets.
“[Clean water is] something we need to be focused on, and we can be proud of the work that’s happened, but we know that we need to do more,” Naig said. “Buildings like this help.”
Naig said scaling up conservation infrastructure across the state will require more skilled contractors. He described them as the “critical link” between concepts and “getting things on the ground.”
“It’s from that point where you say, ‘We have a design that’s ready to go, a willing landowner,’ but somebody needs to make it happen,” Naig said. “The land improvement contractor sits in that very important spot.”
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Mark Roering returned to Iowa City Regina 30 years after serving as an assistant coach, and in just two seasons, he has transformed the Regals into one of Class 2A’s most dangerous teams.
“I was a senior in college. I just had finished playing baseball myself and was doing high school in the summers. Had one of those magical seasons here losing in the state finals,” Roering said. “I was just ready for something new.”
Prior to being hired at Iowa City Regina in 2024, Roering coached nine seasons at Dowling Catholic, where he helped the Maroons reach the state tournament six times. Regina was below .500 in three of the four seasons before his arrival. His first season at the helm, Regina went 22-6.
“I think the biggest difference is practice. Everybody is so much more locked in. Really that just comes from him. He gets on us everyday, he has to make the drive and hour and a half every day so we want to give that back to him for all the time and effort he’s put into us,” junior Trey Streb said.
Streb also described Roering as a very emotional coach who cares deeply about the team and winning.
The Regals’ bats have become a significant threat. Regina ranks fifth in the state and second in Class 2A with a .379 batting average and has the fourth fewest strikeouts among state teams.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced and it’s been super competitive and it’s nice to be with people who want to win and will do whatever it takes to win,” senior Emmett Burke said.
The team already sits at 20 wins with eight regular season games remaining.
Roering said the transformation comes when players start believing they can win in any situation.
“Winning is contagious just like losing is contagious,” Roering said. “Kids they start believing and it gets really dangerous you know that they can win no matter what situation they’re in.”
The turnaround has positioned the Regals to make a postseason run. With only one senior on the roster, the team could remain a threat next season.
“No matter what, we’re going to fight and we’re not going to roll over. We’re going to do what we need to do to win,” Burke said.
“We’re big competitors. We don’t accept defeat and I think that’s one of my favorite parts about this team,” Streb added.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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