Farm Action Fund endorsee @BohannanIowa Christina Bohannan does a stunning job exposing @RepMMM Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ abysmal record fighting for Iowa farmers and doing the bidding of corporate ag monopolies

$8 Billion for Farmers? The CCC Funding Problem Explained.

What Rural Iowans Have to Say about US Senate Candidate Ashley Hinson.

Conservative Iowa Standard features OpEd by @wilberforceinst opposing @hinsonashley Ashley Hinson’s Save Our Bacon Act. “Other family farmers across the Midwest have invested millions to adopt more humane practices. The SOB Act would punish these producers for following market signals while rewarding corporate mega-operations that rely on intense confinement. Because many foreign conglomerates own factory farms on American soil, the SOB Act even bolsters foreign adversaries. When Chinese-backed WH Group purchased Smithfield Foods, for example, it gained control over an entire quarter of America’s pork production and tens of thousands of acres of Midwestern farmland. Using federal preemption to shield entities aligned with the Chinese Communist Party directly undermines national security. The SOB Act also defies core conservative beliefs about good stewardship. If America is to remain a city on a hill, how can we allow Congress to nullify laws primarily aimed at alleviating the suffering and extreme confinement of farmed animals, whose lives are miserable enough already? Locking a mother pig in a crate so narrow she cannot even turn around for months at a time is a morally repugnant practice to which most Americans are opposed. By undermining the financial viability of more humane farming practices, the bill would ensure American agriculture fails to innovate or reflect our values.” theiowastandard.com/miller-r…

Diesel fuel at $6.30 per gallon, 70 percent higher than a year ago. Anhydrous ammonia up 20 percent. Cattle prices dropping $300-400 a head. Rural hospitals closing their maternity wards. Trade wars jacking the price of essential farm equipment. Farm bankruptcies at a six-year high. And Congress went home early to campaign. The House left town on September 16, the Senate on September 30. They left the farm bill unfinished. It never even got a vote on the Senate floor. Surprise, surprise. Farm-state politicians are suddenly hearing from very angry farmers and rural voters. In Nebraska, a Senate seat that was supposed to be safe is now a real race. Likewise in Kansas and Iowa. The political class is learning that rural Americans are tired of being ignored. In case the politicians haven’t heard the message, I expect they will when the votes are counted on election day. We are the Rural Independence Initiative. We are fighting for change in Washington and for a new set of leaders who will fight for rural America. Join Us - farmactionfund.us Donate - farmactionfund.us/donate Joe Maxwell, President

At least 52 maternity wards have closed since the fine print in the Big Beautiful Bill was first made public. Eight more have announced they'll be closing soon. Hospitals in rural Virginia and rural Georgia have pointed directly at the coming Medicaid cuts as a reason why. Here's the math rural families are just now learning. The law cuts federal Medicaid spending in rural America by about $137 billion over ten years. Washington set aside $50 billion to help rural health care. That still leaves a hole of about $87 billion. In rural America, Medicaid covers one in four adults. It pays for nearly half of all births. When that money disappears, the maternity ward closes. Then the emergency room disappears. Next goes the rural hospital. March of Dimes has identified 31 rural hospitals at risk of closing their labor and delivery units. That would leave expectant mothers in 96 counties with no choice but to travel outside their county to give birth. And where did the savings go? To help pay for tax cuts that deliver the biggest gains to the wealthiest households in America. Little wonder that the political class is finding that rural voters are in a foul mood. We are the Rural Independence Initiative. We are fighting for change in Washington to keep rural hospitals open and rural delivery rooms staffed. Join Us - farmactionfund.us Donate - farmactionfund.us/donate Joe Maxwell, President

Harvest is underway, and farmers are buying fertilizer to put on their fields after harvest. Phosphorus and potassium are higher than they were a year ago. Farmers who contract to buy anhydrous ammonia to apply in the spring are finding prices 20% higher than they were a year ago. Not to mention that they’ll be paying 70% more than last year for the diesel needed to apply the fertilizer. For many farmers, it is a bitter harvest. Fuel and fertilizer costs eating their profits. Trade policies that are driving up the cost of machinery. Foreign markets gone dry thanks to needless trade wars. A Congress that went home to campaign without passing a farm bill. Little wonder the rising discontent in America’s heartland. Little wonder the rising anger in rural America about the way rural Americans have been treated by the political class in Washington. They should not be surprised when rural America expresses its discontent at the ballot box. We are the Rural Independence Initiative. Fighting for change in Washington, affordable food prices, and real relief for the farmers who grow our food. Join Us - farmactionfund.us Donate - farmactionfund.us/donate Joe Maxwell, President

Diesel hit six dollars and thirty cents a gallon last week. That's more than 70 percent higher than a year ago, and it landed right in the middle of harvest. So what's Washington's answer? A deal to buy diesel from Russia. The first shipment is 300,000 tons—if it even gets here. That’s a little more than half what America consumes in a single day. The entire deal with Russia through the end of the year is less than what America consumes in 4-8 days. Even if Russia delivers everything it has promised, the amount represents only a fraction of America's annual diesel consumption—and analysts doubt it will substantially lower prices. This is on top of the hoopla about allowing truckers to use red-dyed diesel. What does that do to help farmers? Zero. Nada. Zilch. Farmers already run dyed diesel in their tractors and combines. All it does is force farmers to compete with truckers for the same supply of red-dyed diesel. The trouble with the grand press conference and window dressing coming out of Washington? Farmers know they are being conned every time they pay the diesel fuel bill. We are the Rural Independence Initiative. Fighting for change in Washington, affordable food prices, and real relief for the farmers who grow our food. Join Us - farmactionfund.us Donate - farmactionfund.us/donate Joe Maxwell, President