By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The Iowa State Fair starts Thursday and, while fair food is a big draw for many, the fair will again allow visitors to bring in drinks and snacks in soft-sided coolers.

That policy was in effect for last year’s fair, too, and Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons says it was the right thing to do. “We want all Iowans to feel welcome at the Iowa State Fair so affordability is key. We’ve really held the line and we’ve not increased admission since 2023,” Parsons saud. “…When you come to the Iowa State Fair, outside of that gate admission you could spend all day and not spend another dime if you didn’t want to.”

Parsons says the state fair vendors who sell food and beverages did not report a decline in sales last year either. “We did not hear any of that from vendors,” Parsons says. “Obviously the vendors are there to serve our fairgoers and also generate their own revenue and income, but at the same time I think they understand allowing more people to come to the fair, you know, the saying is ‘something is better than nothing.’ Maybe there’s that family that the fair is a stretch for them from an affordability standpoint, but they can maybe pack their own lunch, but then enjoy an ice cream cone or something like that down the road and so we’re excited to be able to offer that opportunity.”

Parsons made his comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS. The Common Sense Institute has estimated the more than 1.1 million people who attended the 2025 Iowa State Fair spent $85 million on the fairgrounds. That was a 1.1% increase from the previous year.

Nearly 5000 people work at the fair during its 11-day run.

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The U.S. Senate has confirmed an Iowan to serve as the U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.

Glen Smith of Atlantic is now in charge of the distribution of USDA loans and grants for housing, health care services and utilities. Smith suggests the agency can play a key role in expanding access to the internet in rural America. “In 1936 under the New Deal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Rural Development was charged with the challenge of bringing electricity to our country’s rural regions, a mission that was admirably achieved,” Smith said during his confirmation hearing. “Given the right resources, Rural Development should strive to achieve that same level of success in rural connectivity.”

Smith told senators rural prosperity is linked to adding value to raw commodities. “Rural Development could and should play a key role in that value added investment and entrepreneurship encouragement,” Smith said.

One of Smith’s farms borders the “Elite Octane” ethanol plant in Atlantic and he says the operation shows how investing in value-added enterprises pays big dividends. “It’s not just the 80 jobs at that plant. It’s all the support services and businesses it engages and the wealth it pumps into the trade area from the premium price paid for corn for the ethanol that’s distributed all over our country and all over this world,” Smith said. “Capitalize those premiums by long term investment rates — you’re talking hundreds of millions, maybe billions of dollars over time that’s pumped into that rural economy.”

Smith has served on the Farm Credit Administration’s board of directors since 2017 and was its CEO from mid-2019 through the fall of 2022. Smith said government officials need to understand the sophisticated financial organizations that are loaning money. “As I get to USDA, certainly that’ll be one of the first questions I ask,” Smith said. “Where are we in financial technology?”

Smith indicated technology can help solve some personnel issues as the division he now leads deals with 50 different financial assistance program. A recent federal report shows the USDA shed about 20,000 employees last year.

Smith grew up on a farm and graduated from Iowa State in 1982 with an agricultural business degree. The farming operation he started in 1982 now includes two-thousand acres and a beef cow herd. He also founded a farm management company that does business in about 30 Iowa counties.

DES MOINES – Dry conditions in late July resulted in degraded conditions across much of the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

The expansion and emergence of moderate drought conditions across northern and western regions during July have kept the drought watch active in northwestern Iowa and triggered a new drought watch for southwestern Iowa. Although central and northeastern Iowa maintained stable conditions due to above-normal precipitation, dry conditions continued to degrade or persist elsewhere. Soil moisture levels decreased across much of the state during the month. Meanwhile, streamflow levels across Iowa were largely classified as normal conditions.

At the end of July, Iowa’s statewide precipitation averaged 4.50 inches, which is 0.33 inches above normal. However, rainfall was unevenly distributed, with central to northeastern areas receiving two to three times their normal monthly totals while other regions experienced significant rainfall deficits. Statewide temperatures averaged 76.5 degrees, or 3.1 degrees above normal, making July 2026 roughly the 25th warmest July in 154 years of recordkeeping.

According to Iowa’s Drought Plan, drought watches are currently in effect for the northwest and southwest drought regions, while the remaining three drought regions carry a normal designation. According to the current U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), nearly 45 percent of the state is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, with nearly 30 percent classified in moderate drought.

The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s August outlook indicates an increased chance of above-normal temperatures statewide and an equal chance of above-, below-, or near-normal precipitation. The seasonal outlook through October projects that drought conditions in western and northwestern Iowa will likely persist and expand across the northwestern quarter of the state.

“July brought sharp contrasts in precipitation across Iowa, with heavy rain in central and northeastern Iowa while northern and western regions continued to remain dry. A drought watch remains active in the northwest alongside a new watch for southwest Iowa. As the state transitions into its drier season, forecasts favor drought persistence rather than relief,” said Jessica Reese McIntyre, DNR Environmental Specialist.

For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, visit

 www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.