Delaney Howell

Years of a sluggish farm economy and an unfolding global pandemic have not slowed ag and rural stakeholder dollars from flowing to political candidates seeking federal office in the 2020 election.

Pete Buttigieg, making a bid for rural voters in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, proposed Tuesday to repopulate struggling communities by offering special visas to immigrants who agree to move to those towns.

Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler visited with government officials and agribusiness leaders during a closed-door session Monday, talking about the RFS and WOTUS.

Trade was a major topic at this year’s World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, where USDA Undersecretary Greg Ibach and Gregg Doud, chief agriculture negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, were among the speakers. But other topics, including a Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine bank, were up for discussion.

A large crowd gathered at this year’s Iowa Agriculture Leaders banquet in Des Moines Tuesday night to see Bill Northey, Iowa’s long-time Secretary of Agriculture, finally sworn in for his new USDA post.

Many different political voices advocated for agriculture at this year's Iowa Land Investment Expo, held in Des Moines on Jan. 26, but it was hard to tell the Democrats from the Republicans on many issues.