Iowa
Psst! Iowa's conservative economic development doctrine is not working • Iowa Capital Dispatch
We should talk.
Please go to a quiet corner of the room, away from prying eyes and ears, and then read this column. If you tell anyone what I wrote here, I will deny it and claim an imposter posted under my name. Here is what you need to know: It is not working.
The cold, stark reality of this came to me when two events took place. The first was when I watched the conclusion of the Indianapolis 500 and observed the winning car drive over the black and white checkered tile to the winner’s circle sponsored by Hy-Vee. Hy-Vee, which closed three stores serving middle-income Iowans and cut the hours on another, could afford the pretty penny it took to land that advertising spot.
If that wasn’t enough, just this past month the darling of Iowa manufacturing, John Deere, started announcing layoffs a few at a time, but the total is now approaching 2, 000. The blame lay on the fact that the price of corn was falling, down under $5 a bushel.
The company, which recently drew its own national television audiences last weekend with the annual John Deere Classic golf tournament, had assets last year of $104 billion, up 15% from the previous year. Even with lower farm income projections for this year, Deere expects profits this year to exceed $7 billion.
Then came the kicker, the cold glass of water thrown in your face: Deere will move further operations to Mexico in 2025-2026.
It raises the question: What more can we give them and other large corporations so that they will come and stay in Iowa? That is the challenge when you consider all our state government has done since 2012:
- Under Gov. Terry Branstad, we cut taxes on business equipment and commercial property.
- We reduced the required contributions employers must make to the unemployed insurance fund and lowered and delayed benefits to those out of work.
- We have expanded the labor force by allowing children 14 years old to work in factories, removed any restrictions on those 16- or 17-year-olds who are now permitted to work the same hours as an adult. This expanded the labor source in Iowa and reduced costs.
- Iowa has given outright $30 million for manufacturers’ plant modernization.
- Most recently, $93 million was made available to any two businesses that would create a mega site for future commercial enterprises to locate.
- We crippled labor unions by basically abrogating the collective bargaining act for public employees. We require unions to certify their right to bargain for their members by mandating annual votes of approval of the membership.
- We reduced and will eliminate income taxes on businesses’ highest-paid executives while cutting lower wage earners’ taxes only slightly.
- We have lost count of how much cash and land we have given away to the titans of capitalism under the promise that it would create “good jobs.”
Even a critic would not say that our leaders have not pursued an aggressive and expensive policy of a conservative doctrine of economic development. But here is what I want you to know: It is not working.
A few factors jumped out in support of this conclusion. First, Iowa’s population grew in 2022 a reported 0.01% and of that growth, a substantial number was from immigrants. The average state saw a population increase of 0.03% and some went as high as 5 and 6%.
More bad news was what the Bureau of Economic Analysis told us most recently. Among all states, Iowa was 48th for growth in personal income. That was second-lowest score nationally, tied with Mississippi. Upon graduation, 46% of our college graduates leave Iowa and seek employment elsewhere. Over 300 teachers are planning to depart the state after we gutted Area Education Agencies. Nationally, our rank among those high school students taking the SAT continues to decline.
Now a cynic would argue that this plan represents what our leaders want Iowa to become: A primarily Christian, not public, taught population, poorly educated but worker trained. But I assume the governor and her allies are working in good faith.
To be helpful, I would only make one minor suggestion. Until recently, Iowa’s motto was “Iowa A Place to Grow.” Bring it back, it’s good. But a special and specific slogan for wealthy individuals and international corporations of vast financial resources: “Come to Iowa. Get the money and run, like a Deere, to Mexico.”
We all have witnessed the governor’s capacity for retribution for those who drew her wrath.
I deny that I wrote this article.
The Iowa State Cyclones will start a new era when the 2026 college football season kicks off next month.
For the first time in a decade, they have a new leader on the sidelines. Jimmy Rogers, hired away from the Washington State Cougars, will be replacing Matt Campbell, who accepted the head coaching position with the Penn State Nittany Lions and brought along almost the entire coaching staff and most of the eligible roster along with him.
The roster purge left Rogers and Iowa State in a tough spot. He and his staff have done as good a job as possible to restock the talent, but they are certainly facing an uphill battle in the Big 12 in 2026.
So much so, predictions aren’t in their favor. Over at CBS Sports, Brad Crawford has projected game-by-game results for every team in the conference. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t believe the Cyclones are going to find much success in Year 1 under Rogers.
Iowa State predicted for tough 2026 season in Big 12
He has predicted Iowa State to finish 4-8 on the season and 2-7 in the Big 12. Their victories will come against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, Bowling Green Falcons, West Virginia Mountaineers and Cincinnati Bearcats.
That means losses against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Utah Utes, BYU Cougars, Arizona Wildcats, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Baylor Bears, UCF Knights and Kansas State Wildcats.
As Crawford notes, a major reason for his predictions unfolding in that fashion is their signing class being near the bottom of the Power 4 ranks. Rogers has experience working with revamped rosters; the Washington State group in 2025 had 75 newcomers on the team.
Cyclones predicted to struggle on the road
However, he is facing a much bigger challenge integrating so many new players, from all levels of college football, into a Big 12 program. As a result, the toss-up games against teams thought to be on their tier, such as Baylor, UCF and Kansas State, are all predicted to be losses.
Another interesting takeaway is that the Cyclones aren’t predicted to win a single game away from Jack Trice Stadium in 2026. The lack of Power 4 experience certainly plays a role in that, as winning on the road is a tall task; doing so in hostile conference environments most of the roster has never been part of is even tougher.
Rogers knows how to get the most out of what looks to be an overmatched roster. Iowa State shouldn’t be counted out from being able to secure a spot in a bowl game, but they will need a lot to go right and in their favor during the season.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — Several hundred Iowans turned out for the Republican Party of Iowa’s Lincoln Dinner fundraiser Friday night that served largely as a tribute to Gov. Kim Reynolds, the state’s first female governor who is retiring after her term expires in January.
One of granddaughters described Reynolds as her “best friend,” a moment that brought tears on stage.
Two of Reynolds’ daughters praised their mother’s work ethic and commitment to their family.
A video played during the evening included a salute for Reynolds from Terry Branstad, the former governor who had chosen Reynolds as his running mate.
Republican governors from Nebraska, South Dakota, Arkansas, and Georgia also offered their compliments for Reynolds in videos.
So did Trump administration officials including U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins .
Reynolds, first elected lt. governor in 2010, became governor in 2017 after Branstad resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to China.
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau. All rights reserved.
SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (KTIV) – Gelita USA held an open house Friday, July 10, to celebrate the completion of a new wastewater treatment facility at its plant near Sergeant Bluff, marking the end of years of regulatory violations tied to its discharge into the Missouri River.
Gelita manufactures gelatin and collagen, ingredients used in food, medicine, and supplements. That manufacturing process produces large amounts of contaminated wastewater containing proteins, fats, and ammonia, a substance categorized as a toxic pollutant.
According to an Iowa Department of Natural Resources sampling inspection from March 2025, the plant was processing nearly double its design capacity. Before the upgrade, the Iowa State lab documented black water in the Missouri River near the facility’s discharge site. The Iowa DNR found Gelita had exceeded ammonia limits multiple times.
The report said that at the outfall to the Missouri River, Iowa DNR Tom Ross observed that the effluent had a black coloration. Roos requested additional testing at this location.
“Following the inspection, the discharge location on the Missouri River was visited. During the visit, the effluent at the river appeared to be a dark color, much different then the effluent observed at the treatment facility. It was explained during the visit, the color of the discharge to the river was a violation of 567-61.3(2) ‘c’, lowa Administrative Code, which states that all surface waters shall be free from materials attributable to wastewater discharges or agricultural practices producing objectionable color, odor, or other aesthetically objectionable conditions.”
Jeff Tolsma, General Manager of Gelita USA, said the upgrade was the result of an extended dialogue with regulators and upgraded technology.
The new facility includes ultraviolet disinfection, a feature the old plant did not have. The UV light treatment damages the DNA of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms before discharge, improving the company’s compliance with Iowa DNR standards.
Company, regulators call it a turning point
“We met with the EPA and the Iowa DNR probably 18 months, two years ago. It’s been a long dialogue with them, but they were great partners, great to work with,” Tolsma said. “And this wastewater treatment plant allows us to basically meet those new regulations that have been put in place. I think what is significant is that this actually brings us forward from a compliance standpoint for a long-term sustainable operation.”
The Iowa DNR said it will continue monitoring the facility to ensure ongoing compliance.
Gelita USA has operated in the Siouxland area for approximately 30 years and employs around 200 people.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
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