NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY – U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), back center, led a roundtable discussion on “Women in Agriculture” in partnership with the Farm Bureau at the Tama Civic Center Tuesday morning.

TAMA – As she reiterated at the end of her Women in Ag panel Tuesday morning at the Tama Civic Center, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who grew up in the Des Moines area and now calls Marion home, is not a farmer and will never pretend to be one. But the congresswoman representing Iowa’s Second District is always interested in hearing from the women who work in the state’s agricultural sector, and in collaboration with the local Farm Bureau, she gathered seven of them from Tama, Benton and Iowa counties for a meeting to discuss current and looming challenges and opportunities related to the agricultural economy.

For about 45 minutes, Hinson and her panel discussed the Farm Bill negotiations, commodity prices, the controversial EATS law, Mexico’s ban on genetically modified corn, recent layoffs at equipment manufacturers such as John Deere and Kinze, disputes with China and efforts to lure workers to rural Iowa. Hinson said she was “frustrated” with the situation surrounding the stalled Farm Bill, whose one-year extension expires on September 30, after the term of the previous five-year bill would have technically expired on September 30, 2023.

Hinson expressed optimism that he could pass at least another one-year extension once Congress returns from its August recess. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the farm bill currently proposed by Republicans would increase the federal deficit by $33 billion, and it faces opposition from Republicans in the conservative Freedom Caucus because of its high price tag.

“These costs are significant, but I think that given the current situation in the world, it is really critical to invest in American agriculture, not just for food supply and food security here,” she said.

Even in Cedar Rapids, the Second District’s largest metropolitan area, Hinson pointed out that agricultural production supports thousands of jobs through employers such as ADM and Cargill, underscoring the importance of a strong agricultural economy to both urban and rural populations.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY – Left to right: Daweyn Albertsen, Farm Bureau Regional Manager Rob Pangbrun, Cordt Holub, Sierra Hagedon, Reps. Ashley Hinson, Lisa Kubik, Rebecca Dostal and Derek Kienzle pose for a photo at the conclusion of Tuesday’s roundtable event at the Tama Civic Center.

Lisa Kubik from rural Traer gave her assessment of the state of the beef market and Rebecca Dostal, who also runs a farm outside of Traer, addressed the issue of layoffs in the agricultural machinery industry.

“We can’t afford this equipment anyway. That’s why there are layoffs. They set the prices so high.” said Dostal. “We have to make do with what we have.”

Other hurdles that Hinson highlighted include difficult access to capital and high interest rates. The congresswoman, who is also a member of the House Select Committee on the Communist Party of China, then asked those in attendance if they were worried about the world’s most populous country – especially with regard to the theft of intellectual property and land holdings.

Sierra Hagedon, another Traer-area farmer, said that while China often gets most of the attention, nationals of several other countries, including Canada, own American land. Staci Buhr of Benton County also noted that China is one of the largest recipients of American agricultural exports, so any necessary negotiations “a delicate balance.”

“They love to steal, and I know it’s not just China, but China is the worst offender, and they come in and blatantly steal our intellectual property,” said Hinson. “One area where we’ve seen a lot of this is drone technology.”

The final third of the conversation focused on delays in repairing equipment — Buhr said a mechanic told her she could expect to wait at least a month — and the challenges of finding reliable workers. Hinson pointed to the Iowa state legislature’s loosening of work restrictions for youth, which in turn had drawn the attention of the U.S. Department of Labor.

“I think it’s great when teenagers can work in safe conditions. I would never send my child somewhere that isn’t safe. My 13-year-old is probably not ready to bale hay yet, but he could certainly help with shoveling or other things, right? So I think there’s a balance to be found here.” she said.

In closing, the congresswoman stressed her commitment to women’s health care in rural Iowa (she would head to the hospital in Grinnell next), particularly obstetrics, as part of her larger goal of growing the state’s population and securing funding for various projects in her district.

Before leaving, Hinson, a former television news anchor, made a brief appearance with the media to answer questions about what the federal government can do to help recently laid-off workers and to discuss the news of the day: Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has officially named Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

“First and foremost, I want to extend my sincere condolences to everyone who has lost their job and encourage them to reach out to our office if we can help connect them with available resources. I know IowaWORKS is a great tool for people who have found themselves in this situation.” she said. “But I think it shows what we’ve discussed in many conversations today, and it’s been the theme as well, that the inflation that people have experienced, the input prices that have been tightening over the last few years, have really limited people’s available funds to invest in new equipment. So this is the result of years of failed economic policies across the board that have now impacted our manufacturing sector as well. I think it’s definitely a warning sign for the future. I think when you look at the economic conditions, what’s going on around the world, it’s a direct result of failed leadership from the White House.”

Hinson predicted that Walz “pose as a moderate Minnesotan”, but she felt that he was “as radical and liberal as they can be”, and referred to his positions on immigration as well as the protests and riots in 2020 that erupted following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“I think we look forward to fighting against the Harris and Walz agenda over the next few months because we know they will tax everything that moves and will not support law enforcement and our communities will be less safe,” she said. “I haven’t had a chance to look at (Walz’s) resume, but I can tell you this: When I talk to my colleagues who serve in Minnesota, they say his policies have taken Minnesota in the wrong direction. And I trust my colleagues there.”