Policy Recommendations

Our Advocacy Lens

We champion policies that keep food dollars in Iowa, support local farms and businesses, and protect the health of our communities and environment. That means making it easier for schools, hospitals, and food banks to buy directly from nearby farms. It means supporting small-scale processing and value-added production that create local jobs and bring Iowa-made products to store shelves. We advocate for nutrition incentives that stretch SNAP dollars and increase access to fresh, healthy food. We support rural grocery stores, shared-use kitchens, and the infrastructure that keeps small towns vibrant. We work to lower barriers for beginning, BIPOC, veteran, and small farms so Iowa agriculture reflects all Iowans. And we fight for clean water, healthy soil, and public safeguards that reward sustainable practices and hold polluters accountable.

Recent Wins

This year the coalition’s persistence paid off on several fronts. Lawmakers voted to lock the Choose Iowa Purchasing Pilot into permanent statute, a huge leap toward our long-term goal of a statewide $3 million per year local-food procurement fund. At the same time, our testimony and partner stories helped push rural-grocery development up the priority list, opening the door for new dollars and technical assistance that keep main-street stores alive. And when a sweeping pesticide-immunity bill threatened to strip farmworkers and neighbors of basic protections, our rapid-response network flooded inboxes and hearing rooms until the proposal was shelved. These wins prove that when farmers, food banks, health advocates, and consumers speak together, the Capitol listens, so we’re doubling down for the work ahead.

Get Involved

  1. Join our Local Food Policy Network Team

  2. Advocacy Resources: learn about the legislative timeline, find your legislators, and grab some advocacy tips

  3. Sign up for Our Newsletter: action alerts & local food news straight to your inbox.

  4. Share Your Story: Farmers, eaters, educators, grocers: your real-world examples move votes.

  5. Join our monthly meeting. Email Tommy Hexter (thexter@iowafarmersunion.org) for an invitation.

Tommy Hexter, Iowa Farmers Union

“There’s grassroots power in working with so many people from different areas of the food system, from farmers to professors, non-profit leaders to small business owners.”

Our Partners