During Ag Week, Iowa Farmers Face Rising Costs as Nunn and Miller-Meeks Back Policies Making It Worse

From fuel to fertilizer to health care, Iowa farmers are being squeezed from every direction

As Iowa marks Ag Week and celebrates the farmers who power the state’s economy, many are facing a difficult reality: rising costs, shrinking margins, and growing uncertainty driven by policies supported by Representatives Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

Across the state, farmers are grappling with skyrocketing input costs, while both members of Congress have supported tariffs that increase costs for equipment, inputs, and transportation, while also threatening access to key export markets that Iowa farmers rely on. 

Amid Trump’s ongoing trade tensions fertilizer prices are rising, while diesel and gas costs continue to climb, putting pressure on every stage of production, from planting to harvest. And thanks to the green light from Representatives Nunn and Miller-Meeks, tariffs have created instability in export markets, making it harder for Iowa farmers to compete and plan for the future.

At the same time, farmers are facing rising health care costs after the elimination of Affordable Care Act tax credits, a critical support for many self-employed farmers and rural families who rely on the individual marketplace for coverage. These tax credits could have been extended had Iowa’s Republican representatives voted to do so before they expired.. Additionally, Nunn and Miller-Meeks voted for history’s largest cuts to SNAP, which not only helps families afford food but also supports demand for the agricultural products Iowa farmers produce.

“For many Iowa farmers, the margins are already thin,” Ryan, a farmer in Madison County said. “When you layer on higher fuel costs, higher fertilizer prices, rising health care premiums, and unstable markets because of tariffs, it becomes harder and harder to stay afloat. These aren’t abstract policy decisions, they have real consequences for the people who feed our state and our country.”

Ag Week is meant to recognize the essential role farmers play in Iowa’s economy and way of life. But this year, many are being asked to do more with less. As they head into another growing season, farmers say the focus should be on ensuring they have the tools and support they need to succeed, not the policies supported by Reps Zach Nunn and Marianette Miller-Meeks that leave them paying more and getting less.