2022 Legislative Session Saw Big Achievements For Iowa Farmers

The 2022 Iowa Legislative Session came to an end this week having made big strides for agriculture in the state.

Throughout the session, we saw laws addressing inflated prices at the fuel pump, growing markets, and investment in local meat lockers, says Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig.

The 2022 legislative session has been incredibly productive for Iowa’s agriculture community. I applaud Governor Reynolds and members of the Iowa House and Senate for prioritizing the needs of family farmers, our agribusinesses, and rural communities.

Throughout the last few months, Iowa agriculture saw some major legislative accomplishments including:

Biofuels access and infrastructure

Iowa became the first state in the United States to adopt an E15 standard with the passing of House File 2128. This will help grow a $4 billion dollar industry that already supports tens of thousands of jobs, said Governor Kim Reynolds.

Promotion of locally grown and raised products

The Choose Iowa Promotional Program was formed with the passing of House File 2581 to help increase the visibility of Iowa grown and raised food. This program is set to be launched this fall.

Tax relief for farmers and agriculture

Iowa has a new tax package that lowers the current tax rate to a flat rate of 3.9 percent in House File 2317. In this tax reform, there are provisions that will help retired farmers by giving them new tax exemptions.

Growing Iowa meat lockers

In House File 2470, many of the recommendations made by the Artisanal Butchery Task Force was implemented. This included the creation of a one-year community college certificate program for artisanal butchery and addresses other challenges that processors identified relating to training programs.