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Iowa

How an Iowa farmer pushes through less-than-average crop yields

by Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette
Jul 27, 2023
It takes a "that's farming, buddy!" attitude — and crop insurance helps, too.
"That's farming, buddy!" says April Hemmes, a corn and soybean farmer, in the face of drought in her home state of Iowa.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace
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My Economy

Retirement might not be in the cards for everyone

by Sarah Leeson
Feb 21, 2023
Shelley Rivers, a substitute teacher in Iowa City, Iowa, says she never even had the expectation that she'd fully retire.
Putting enough away to comfortably retire might be beyond many Americans' means.
(Photo by Graeme Robertson/Getty Images)
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Iowa concert venue operator persisted through pandemic with help of SBA and other allies

by Kai Ryssdal and Richard Cunningham
Feb 16, 2022
Tobi Parks' xBk was open only six months before the pandemic hit. A federal grant helped it weather COVID.
"I never considered shutting it down," said Tobi Parks of xBk. "And, you know, I was always confident and had the support of .... the team of allies."
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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As prices at the grocery store rise, farmers' costs are up too

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Jan 20, 2022
Iowa corn and soybean farmer April Hemmes paid double for nitrogen this year. Consumers shouldn’t blame growers for inflation, she said.
"That's farming, buddy!" says April Hemmes, a corn and soybean farmer, in the face of drought in her home state of Iowa.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace
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Iowa farmers struggling after storms "flattened all of our crops"

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Aug 27, 2020
Iowa corn and soybean farmer April Hemmes says that for many farmers, "it's like they lost their job and their house all in one day."
Damaged grain bins in Luther, Iowa, on Aug. 11. The state is also suffering a drought.
Daniel Acker/Getty Images
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Times may be tough for Iowa farmers, but planting was "gorgeous"

by Andie Corban and Kai Ryssdal
May 28, 2020
Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal checked in with Iowa corn and soybean farmer April Hemmes.
April Hemmes on her farm in 2019. This year, she had a record soybean harvest despite a drought earlier in the year.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace
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Check Your Balance ™️

Ahead of the caucus in Iowa, for many parents child care expense is top of mind

by Samantha Fields
Feb 3, 2020
A quarter of Iowans live in a child care desert, and many more struggle to find affordable, quality child care for their kids.
For the last few months, Ginny Downs has been going to work with her mother every day. When she starts day care, likely soon, it'll cost more than her parents' mortgage.
Courtesy Judy Downs
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Trade showdown

Tariff land: How farmers in Iowa are dealing with the trade war

by Daisy Palacios and Kai Ryssdal
Dec 12, 2019
China was the United States’ biggest customer of soybeans, but the trade war changed that.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace
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Trade showdown

Iowa farmers' trade war reality

by Kai Ryssdal and Bennett Purser
Sep 24, 2018
China and Canada were once two of the state's best customers. Iowa's agriculture secretary has some ideas about what to do next.
Corn grows on a farm near Tipton, Iowa.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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In a U.S.-China trade dispute, Iowa farmers may be the bargaining chips

by Marketplace Staff
Apr 5, 2018
With the announced Chinese tariffs on U.S. exports, things are looking pretty tough if you’re a farmer, and more so if you’re a farmer in Iowa. Five of the state’s central agriculture products — soybeans, corn, ethanol, beef and pork — would be hit if the tariffs go into effect. And that’s a big deal […]
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