On January 29, 2026, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig asked lawmakers for a $1.3 million budget increase to support key agricultural initiatives, including a major expansion of the Choose Iowa program, enhanced livestock disease preparedness, and broader water conservation efforts. The funding request, presented to a House appropriations subcommittee, accompanies the proposed "Iowa Farm Act", a comprehensive policy package with wide backing from ag industry groups.

Del total solicitado, $300,000 están destinados a ampliar Choose Iowa , el programa de comercialización de alimentos locales del estado, mientras que los fondos restantes cubrirán aumentos operativos fijos, como un aumento salarial del 2% , un seguro médico más alto y cuotas de asociación .

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Choose Iowa, launched in 2023, saw 113% growth in membership in 2025, with over 300 members in 86 counties. The program supports small and beginning farmers by connecting them to consumers and offering grants for dairy, butchery, value-added production, and farm-to-food bank initiatives.

According to IDALS' 2025 report, every $1 in state grants generated $1.97 in private investment. The requested funding would help build a retail and distribution system, enabling producers to sell at higher volumes and more predictably. A new staff role would coordinate logistics and infrastructure among participants.

Naig emphasized the economic and social impact of Choose Iowa: "There's real opportunity here for small and beginning farmers... it's growing rural economies and meeting consumer demand."

El proyecto de ley de estudio de la Cámara de Representantes 588 , denominado Ley Agrícola de Iowa , ampliaría aún más el programa Choose Iowa y establecería un programa de compras escolares que permitiría a las escuelas comprar proteínas, productos lácteos, granos, miel y productos agrícolas cultivados en Iowa.

Although the school initiative is not funded in this request, specialty producers are pushing for permanent state support, especially after a similar federal program was cut in early 2025.

The bill would also give priority grant access to young and beginning farmers, and include new tools for biosecurity, including:

• Confidentiality protections for disease reporting

• Authority to lease disease-response equipment facilities

• A loan repayment program for rural veterinarians

Si bien el departamento no solicitó nuevos fondos para la respuesta a enfermedades animales foráneas, Naig enfatizó que la amenaza persiste y se intensifica . Desde 2022, Iowa ha lidiado con brotes generalizados de influenza aviar altamente patógena (IAAP), una enfermedad que ha afectado a más de 187 millones de aves a nivel nacional .

In 2025, the department was in response mode nearly 90% of the year, and two outbreaks have already been confirmed in 2026 in Kossuth County. Past budgets enabled the creation of the Iowa Animal Disease Prevention Fund, hiring of specialized staff, and acquisition of rapid-response tools.

Naig warned that threats like African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and the New World screwworm are no longer theoretical and could have nationwide consequences, even if detected outside Iowa.

IDALS invirtió más de $34.3 millones en programas de conservación de suelo y agua en 2025, lo que ayudó a ampliar la escala de humedales, biorreactores y zonas de amortiguamiento saturado . Hasta la fecha, Iowa ha completado 147 proyectos de humedales y casi 500 biorreactores , con cientos más en desarrollo.

Naig told lawmakers that measurable progress is reflected in both land use and changing attitudes among producers. He highlighted growing success in phosphorus reduction, though nitrate control remains a challenge due to historic practices that prioritized quick water drainage over filtration.

"We used to say, ‘Get water off the land fast.' Now we're saying, ‘Let's filter and denitrify water.' Those are completely different approaches," Naig said.

Despite hurdles, he underscored the importance of sustained investment: "Clean water is non-negotiable... We need a modernized system from farm to faucet."