The State of Iowa is home to some of the richest, most productive farm fields in North America.

But it’s also the site of one of the greatest agricultural climate disasters of all-time, the 2020 Derecho storm event that flattened six million acres of crops.

In this episode, we talk with Bill Northey, former USDA Under-Secretary and the new CEO of the Agri-Business Association of Iowa, about how growers in that state are adjusting their practices to promote climate resilience and nutrient management. 

He explains how extreme weather events have elevated growers’ awareness of climate issues, and about how the Agri-Business Association of Iowa is expanding its 10-year test plot project to explore how variable rate nitrogen application can be used to maximize nutrient retention and crop yield in varying soil and planting conditions.

Plus, Tom and Sally discuss how a Spring season full of economic and policy volatility, like the Federal Reserve’s planned interest rate hikes, will effect growers at a farm-level. 

Read more about the relationship between interest rates and land value.