Iowa
USDA plans to send out $21B in disaster aid. When can Iowa farmers expect to see it?
Watch Iowa farmer describe rebuilding after a April tornado
Scott McLaughlin, a fifth-generation Iowa farmer, is rebuilding after a tornado hit his farm. Farmers are frustrated by the support available from the USDA.
Iowa farmers whose livestock and crops were hit by drought, devastating tornadoes and flooding over the past two years may be in line for help from Congress’s nearly $21 billion in disaster assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the first disaster assistance payments are expected to roll out by the end of May to livestock producers who experienced losses from drought and wildfires. USDA will disperse other disaster payments throughout the summer, based on a timeline released May 7.
The disaster assistance is part of a nearly $31 billion package that Congress approved in December that provided $10 billion in financial assistance to growers, who are facing a third year of losses with falling crop and livestock prices and stubbornly high expenses.
USDA has rolled out $7.3 billion of the financial aid to farmers so far, the agency’s data shows.
Iowa farmers have snagged the largest share of money at $688 million, followed by Illinois at $630 million and Texas at $603 million. The largest payments so far have gone to corn and soybean growers, the data shows.
Iowa is the nation’s top corn grower and second-largest soybean producer.
USDA’s timeline on the release of disaster aid came as President Donald Trump said May 8 he had crafted a preliminary trade deal with the United Kingdom, a move the president said would increase market access for U.S. farmers, especially beef and ethanol. That’s good news for Iowa, the largest ethanol producer in the nation.
Experts have said that the $31 billion in financial and disaster assistance provides farmers with revenue at a time of uncertainty, with the U.S. hitting agriculture’s largest trade partners with tariffs and cutting exports.
Here’s what to know about the impact of the disaster assistance rollout:
Why are farmers getting disaster payments?
The U.S. was hammered by hurricanes, drought, wildfires and other extreme weather events in 2023 and 2024, the years covered by disaster assistance. The congressionally approved supplemental disaster assistance helps cover losses not paid for through traditional crop and livestock insurance, experts say.
Storms that hit the nation last year, including devastating tornadoes and flooding in Iowa, caused nearly $183 billion in damages and killed 568 people, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
And damages from 2023 U.S. disasters totaled $92.9 billion, including a drought that hit Iowa and other Midwestern and Southern states. The drought cost an estimated $14.5 billion, according to NOAA, which is no longer tracking the cost of severe weather events due to the Trump administration’s budget cuts.
2023 was the second straight year that portions of the Mississippi River experienced record-low water levels that impacted farmers’ ability to move corn, soybeans and other goods to export markets.
What’s USDA’s plan?
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said May 7 the federal agency is developing the rules to expedite disaster assistance payments for farmers experiencing livestock losses due to wildfires, drought and flooding; crop losses from weather events; and two block grant programs for several states, neither of which includes Iowa.
Starting with payments to livestock producers experiencing losses due to drought or wildfires in late May, assistance for livestock and crop losses are expected to roll out through September.
What does it mean for Iowa farmers?
USDA didn’t immediately respond to a request seeking information May 8 about how Iowa farmers might be helped through the disaster assistance. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig’s office also said he’s awaiting guidance.
Iowa has struggled with extreme weather. Last year was a record year for tornadoes, with a total of 125 touching down, including deadly twisters that hit the towns of Minden and Greenfield. Iowa also experienced record levels of flooding in northwest Iowa, hitting Rock Valley, Spencer and other communities.
Aaron Lehman, the Iowa Farmers Union board president, said he’s concerned that USDA employee cuts will leave farmers struggling to get information about the disaster assistance. Already, Iowa farmers already are being notified that Farm Service Agency offices are reducing hours, he said.
Local Farm Service Agency offices are “instrumental in making sure … money gets into farmers’ hands,” Lehman said.
Rollins said at a Senate hearing May 6 that USDA is looking to fill critical positions after agreeing to pay more than 15,000 employees’ salaries and benefits through September in exchange for their resignations, Reuters reported.
Rollins, however, said it’s not the agency’s plan to close Farm Service Agencies that provide on-the-ground assistance to farmers.
Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com.
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Spring commencement arrives at Iowa State this weekend, with a whole new generation of Cyclones set to get their diplomas and move on to the next things in their lives.
The options and choices will set their path for, potentially, the years and decades ahead.
Which got me thinking about the choices and circumstances of this school year that came for Iowa State athletics. There were no shortages of inflection points at which, it seems, programs and an entire athletics department pivoted to new directions.
Let’s explore.
What if Iowa State had hired Taylor Mouser as head football coach?
This seems to be the most discussed “Sliding Doors” moment for Iowa State football fans regarding head coach Matt Campbell’s departure to Penn State. And with good reason. It’s the most obvious, could have had the most immediate impact on the program and would have been largely seen as a continuation of the most successful run in school history.
Would promoting the Iowa State offensive coordinator, though, have been the right move?
If you assume a best-case scenario in which some of the star Cyclone players on offense – think Rocco Becht, Ben Brahmer, Carson Hansen, etc. – stay at Iowa State and a bulk of the coaching staff does as well, there are still likely defections that weaken the roster. Nothing like we saw back in December, but, still, there would be holes – and Campbell’s shoes – to fill by a first-time head coach taking over for a legend.
The calculation, as I see it, has to be – does the Year 1 continuity and relative stability gained by hiring Mouser provide for better long-term results than hiring Jimmy Rogers, who has the benefit of head-coaching experience?
It certainly would have made the fan base feel better back in December, but would it have positioned Iowa State to have better results in 2027 and beyond?
The roster almost certainly would have been “better” in 2026 if Iowa State retained Mouser, but would that have created a more solid foundation for the future or just delayed decay?
This “What If” becomes a lot less intricate and interesting if Rogers just wins a ton this fall and going forward.
What if Penn State had been able to hire Kalani Sitake as its football coach?
I think this is the most interesting question on the list.
By reports, Penn State was on the verge of hiring Sitake from BYU when the Cougars’ boosters – led by the Crumbl Cookie fortune – banded together to put together a financial package to keep Sitake in Provo.
What if they hadn’t, though?
Sitake goes to Penn State, and Dec. 5, 2025, is an uneventful day in Iowa State history rather than one of its most feverish.
But … what happens a few weeks later when Sherrone Moore is fired at Michigan?
Rather than plucking 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham from Utah/forced retirement, do the Wolverines try to make a Michigan Man out of an Ohioan? Does Campbell inherit the seat of Bo Schembechler?
And, for the sake of this thought exercise, if Campbell did move to Ann Arbor, does the timing of that decision change athletics director Jamie Pollard’s options and calculus about Iowa State’s opening? Is Jimmy Rogers still available? Or would he have taken a different opening or opted not to leave Pullman at that later date? Is Mouser the answer in this scenario?
Or is the Buckeye State distaste for the state Up North too much and Campbell returns for Year 11 at Iowa State?
Addy Brown on what went wrong in Iowa State’s loss to Syracuse
Iowa State’s Addy Brown talks about her team’s struggles in a loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.
What if Addy Brown doesn’t get hurt?
Iowa State women’s basketball was 14-0 on Jan. 4 when it played Baylor in Waco, and the season felt sure to realize the potential that was clear before it started with one of coach Bill Fennelly’s best rosters.
The Cyclones, though, returned home with their first loss and with Addy Brown sidelined with a back injury.
Four more losses in a row followed, and when Brown returned to the floor after six weeks, the Cyclones’ season was floundering.
They salvaged an NCAA Tournament bid, but a first-round exit gave way to a roster collapse with nine players – including Brown and superstar Audi Crooks – leaving via the transfer portal, putting Fennelly’s tenure and future under fire.
If Brown doesn’t get hurt – or just isn’t out as long – does that change the trajectory of the season? The offseason? And what the eventual end of Fennelly’s Iowa State career looks like?
What if Joshua Jefferson doesn’t roll his ankle?
The most recent “What If” I think is also the most straightforward.
If Jefferson’s ankle doesn’t roll in the early minutes of Iowa State’s first-round NCAA Tournament blowout win over Tennessee State, I think the Cyclones get a long second weekend in Chicago, but the Final Four drought probably remains intact.
Jefferson’s rebounding and offensive impact are, I think, enough to give the Cyclones the edge against Tennessee, but Michigan, the Cyclones’ would-be Elite Eight opponent, was just a juggernaut.
I’m not sure even a full-strength Iowa State team would have had more than a puncher’s chance. The Wolverines were just one of the best college basketball teams we’ve seen over the last few decades.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
One of the top Iowa high school football prospects in the state has made his college decision official.
Iowa City Regina High School senior-to-be Tate Wallace has announced he has verbally committed to the University of Minnesota in the Big Ten Conference. Wallace picked the Golden Gophers and head coach PJ Fleck over a finalists Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State and Wisconsin.
Wallace narrowed down his list of schools to six at the end of April before making his final decision.
Iowa City Regina Football Standout Tate Wallace Ranked As No. 2 Overall Prospect In Iowa High School Football
The 6-foot-2, 226-pound linebacker is considered the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Iowa for high school football, and is the No. 21 linebacker in the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports.
In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wallace is No. 2 in Iowa high school football, No. 29 at linebacker and No. 359 for the Class of 2027.
Along With Minnesota, Tate Wallace Currently Holds Offers From Schools Such As Arizona, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Iowa State
Wallace currently holds 16 total offers including from the previously mentioned Minnesota, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Kansas State, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, UNLV, North Dakota and North Dakota State.
As a junior, Wallace registered almost 50 tackles on defense, with 29 of them being counted as solo stops. He had 18 tackles for loss, 8.5 quarterback sacks and forced two fumbles, as Iowa City Regina advanced to the state championship game of the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Football Championships.
Future Minnesota Golden Gopher Has Been Key Two-Way Starter For Regals
Wallace also hauled in 40 passes for 611 yards with 10 receiving touchdowns on offense for the Regals. As a two-way player for Iowa City Regina during his sophomore season, Wallace had 27.5 tackles, including 16 solo stops, four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack, adding 51 receptions for 752 yards and eight touchdowns.
Back in March, Wallace announced seven spring visits to Notre Dame, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas State and Arizona State. He also visited Tennessee this past fall, taking in an SEC contest with the Volunteers.
Along with his success on the football field, Wallace helped lead the Regals to the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament this past winter. He earned High School on SI all-state honors in the process.
Follow
-
News4 minutes agoVideo: Americans Exposed to Hantavirus on Cruise Ship Arrive in United States
-
Politics10 minutes agoTrump Proposes Suspending Federal Gas Tax Until Prices Fall
-
Business16 minutes agoKennedy Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence
-
Science22 minutes agoA Fish That Hitches Rides Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine
-
Health28 minutes agoDoctors Reveal the 3 Surprising Weight-Loss Hacks Nobody Talks About
-
Culture40 minutes agoDo You Recognize These Snappy Lines From Popular Crime Novels?
-
Lifestyle46 minutes agoThanks to ‘Mormon Wives,’ Dirty Soda Is a National Obsession
-
Education52 minutes agoCursive Club, Where Students Learn With a Flourish