(Muscatine and Bremer Counties) – The Iowa Donor Network has selected April Wilson of Denver, Iowa, and Natalie McCleary of Fruitland, Iowa, to be honored on the 2026 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade® Float in Pasadena, California on January 1st. McCleary, who passed away in 2022, became an organ donor whose gifts transformed six lives. She will be honored with a floragraph portrait placed on the float. Wilson, a two-time living donor, will be recognized as a Walker Honoree and will walk alongside the float. Wilson, McCleary’s family, and their loved ones will travel to Pasadena, California to help decorate the float and watch the parade live.

The 2026 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade® float, Treasure Every Moment Together, will once again shine a spotlight on the transformative power of donation. Featured in the 137th Rose Parade® presented by Honda, the float will travel down Colorado Boulevard alongside dozens of floral floats, marching bands, and equestrian units. This year’s Rose Parade® theme, The Magic in Teamwork, celebrates the collective effort and collaboration required to make extraordinary things possible.

Float rendering (Courtesy the Iowa Donor Network)

Organ and tissue donation exemplifies this concept—bringing together hospitals, organ procurement organizations, transplant centers, donors, and recipients. When an organ and/or tissue donor gives the gift of life, it represents the ultimate act of teamwork, perfectly reflecting the theme chosen by Tournament of Roses President Mark Leavens.

Floragraph portraits made from organic materials will honor donors who gave the gift of life, while transplant recipients will ride on the float to share their gratitude. Living donors, including Wilson, will walk alongside the float, demonstrating the lifesaving impact of living donation.

The Iowa Donor Network asks,  “If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for immediate, confidential support.”

AMES, Iowa – The annual Iowa State University Land Value Survey found that average farmland values increased 0.7%, or $83, to $11,549 per acre. The nominal value of an acre of farmland this year increased over last year’s nominal value, but is still about $286 per acre lower than the 2023 peak of $11,835.

Rabail Chandio, assistant professor and extension economist at Iowa State University, is responsible for the annual survey. Chandio said that she typically considers changes of less than 5%, whether up or down, as more of an adjustment than a true market change. “Changes of that size often reflect variation across counties and crop reporting districts rather than a consistent statewide trend,” she said. “It wasn’t a boom or a bust, just a very uneven adjustment, with the story changing as you move across the state. Strong yields, limited land supply and solid livestock income helped prop up values in some areas, but lower commodity prices, high interest rates and rising costs pulled them down in others.”

When the nominal value increases, but the inflation-adjusted value decreases as it did this year, it can still be helpful for farmers, but only to a point, Chandio said. “A farmer selling land this year will receive more dollars than last year, and that can still support goals like paying down debt (whose real burden also shrinks with inflation), transitioning to retirement or reinvesting elsewhere. In that sense, the higher nominal price provides some benefit,” she said.

However, when inflation-adjusted values fall, additional money from land sales won’t stretch as far as it might have previously. “Sellers may find that the proceeds won’t buy as much machinery, land or inputs as they would have a few years ago. So, while selling today can still improve a farmer’s financial position, the real economic gain is smaller than the nominal price increase suggests,” Chandio said.

Despite the small growth in farmland values, there were many factors putting downward pressure on farmland values this year. Chandio said one of those factors is federal interest rates, which only saw modest cuts in 2025. “Because we haven’t seen any major reductions, the market is still feeling the weight of the rate hikes from 2022 and 2023. And since interest-rate effects take years, up to a decade, to be fully capitalized in land values, those post-COVID increases are still working their way through the system,” Chandio said.

Commodity markets also put some pressure on land prices this year. Chandio called commodity prices “soft” but said that tariffs likely only played a small and indirect role in this year’s farmland values. “Tariffs may have been part of the background noise, but they weren’t a major driver of farmland values,” she said. Farmers, she said, are still just facing very tight margins on commodities, even with lower production costs.

Chandio said she feels one of the most interesting things about this year’s report is how divided the market has become. “Even though the statewide average ticked up 0.7%, most counties actually saw declines once you adjust for inflation, and three crop reporting districts posted nominal drops. At the same time, places in the northeast saw increases of 3­–4%, while parts of central Iowa slipped by 2–3%,” she said.

Land values by county

Sixty counties reported increases in nominal land values; however, 78 counties reported a decrease in inflation-adjusted values. O’Brien County had the highest value at $16,269 per acre, an increase of about $348 or 2.2%. Appanoose County had the lowest value $6,679 per acre, a decrease of $160, or -2.3%.

Dubuque County saw the largest dollar increase ($553 per acre), while Clayton and Allamakee counties saw the largest percent increase in values (4.4%). Kossuth County showed the largest percent decrease (-4.3%) and the largest dollar decrease (-$552 per acre).

Land values by district

Land values increased across six of Iowa’s nine crop reporting districts. The highest average land values were reported in the Northwest district, $14,522 per acre, while the lowest average land values were reported in the South Central district, $7,623 per acre.

The Northeast district saw the largest percent increase (4.1%) and the largest dollar increase ($481 per acre). The North Central district saw the largest percent decline (-2.6%) and the largest dollar decline (-$315 per acre) in values.

Land values by quality

Statewide, low-quality land averaged $7,580 per acre, a 1.7% or $130 per acre increase. Medium-quality land averaged $10,809 per acre, an increase of 0.6% or $69 per acre. High-quality land averaged $14,030 per acre, an increase of 0.7% or $101 per acre.

The Northwest district reported the highest dollar values for high-, medium- and low-quality land at $16,519, $13,507 and $9,792 per acre, respectively.

The South Central district reported the lowest values for high-, medium- and low-quality land at $10,677, $7,465 and $5,199 per acre, respectively.

Statewide, high-, medium- and low-quality land saw increases of 0.7%, 0.6% and 1.7%, respectively.

Factors influencing the market

Lower commodity prices were cited as a negative factor influencing the market by 32% of respondents, marking the most common factor among respondents. Other negative factors cited by respondents include long-term interest rates (22%) and tariffs and trade uncertainty (13%).

Limited land supply was cited most often as a positive factor influencing the market (21%). Other positive factors include strong yields (13%) and cash/credit availability (10%).

Land values were determined by the 2025 Iowa State University Land Value Survey, conducted in November by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Results from the survey are consistent with results by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the REALTORS® Land Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, showing only small changes in the land markets.

The Iowa State Land Value Survey is based on reports from agricultural professionals knowledgeable about land market conditions, such as appraisers, farm managers, agricultural lenders and actual land sales, and is intended to provide information on general land value trends, geographical land price relationships and factors influencing the Iowa land market. The 2025 survey is based on 463 usable responses from 316 agricultural professionals. Sixty-nine percent of the 316 respondents answered the survey online.

The Iowa State Land Value Survey was initiated in 1941, the first in the nation, and is sponsored annually by Iowa State University. The survey is typically conducted every November, and the results are released in mid-December. Only the state average and the district averages are based directly on the Iowa State survey data. County estimates are derived using a procedure that combines the Iowa State survey results with data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture.

CARD offers a web portal that includes visualization tools, such as charts and interactive county maps, allowing users to examine land value trends over time at the county, district and state level.

For over 60 years, the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University has conducted innovative public policy and economic research on local, regional and global agricultural issues, combining academic excellence with engagement and anticipatory thinking to inform and benefit society.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic City Council, as part of their regular meeting Wednesday evening (Dec. 17), received Annual presentations from the Director of the Atlantic Public Library, Produce in the Park Market Manager, and a representative from the Meals On Wheels program. Library Director Michelle Andersen said the City’s Return On its Investment (ROI) in the Library, in-part, comes in the form of many different programs and events that promote literacy and opportunities to learn about new hobbies.

The Library Houses the Cass County Genealogical Society, so people can learn more about their family’s history. The Atlantic Carnegie Public Library serves as a public meeting place. It offers digital and home delivery service of printed material. Its staff attend community events, such as Produce in the Park. Michelle Andersen says the Library is supported financially by the City through property taxes, and the County, and those funds are important to keeping-up the services offered.

She mentioned also, the Carnegie Foundation has granted $10,000 to community to cities that still operate and maintain libraries established under the Andrew Carnegie name. Overall, last fiscal year, she said, the Library spent $476, 833, not including Capital Expenditures. She thanked the City for its continuing level and interest of support. Produce in the Park Market Manager Ciara Hoegh reminded the Atlantic City Council about this Saturday’s Christmas Market at the Nishna Valley YMCA in Atlantic, from 10-a.m. until Noon.

Atlantic City Council meeting 12-17-25

Produce in the Park…in partnership with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce…began in 2012 as a monthly market , and grew to a weekly market in 2013 and in 2014 a Harvest Market was added. The organization became a stand-alone own non-profit in 2020. Some year-around markets continue to be added. The City has provided PIP an annual subsidy of $8,500 since 2024, with the funds coming from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Progress Fund. Other funding comes from sponsors and vendors.

Hoegh said there are usually more than 30 vendors at the various markets offered throughout the year, along with opportunities to learn about new recipes and cooking from guest chefs.

There’s also more live entertainment being offered as the events continue to grow. Produce in the Park accepts SNAP cards for the purchase of qualifying items, such as produce. The Council heard also from local Meals-On-Wheels representative Sue Mosier. The City provides an Annual subsidy of $8,000 to the program, which also comes from the LOST Progress Fund. Mosier explained how the “Common Sense” program operates.

Clients are charged $3.50 per meal. Meals are prepared by the Heritage House for $4.15.

The only other funding source for fixed-income clients, is from Medicaid, if the client is on a waiver. There are currently six clients served that way. Meals On Wheels has been available in one form or another, for more than 50-years.

(Radio Iowa) – Daily commercial air service will end at the Dubuque Regional Airport next month, leaving travelers searching for alternatives. Realtor Ann Williams tells K-C-R-G T-V she uses the service monthly for work and to visit family around Chicago. “It was just the easiest way to get from here to there and then onto my next destination with no trouble at all. I’m really going to miss it,” Williams said. January 15th will be the last day passengers can board a Denver Air Connection jet at the Dubuque Regional Airport. The city of Dubuque decided not to renew the three-million dollar contract for flights after they didn’t become profitable. Williams says said the community will suffer without the flights.

“I think that would have been a time-limited investment, and what relevant city in the world these days doesn’t have an airport?,” she says. The loss of air service will affect local institutions and families. Clarke University’s Andy Bellings said losing the flights could make it tougher to bring in new students. “We recruit a lot of students from Texas, Florida, and California and it makes it really hard for them to come here and go back home,” Bellings said. Bellings said the loss of air service will also affect his family. as his daughter attends college in New York. Without daily local air service the alternative is more travel time to airports in Cedar Rapids or Chicago.

“Chicago is six hours roundtrip, inconvenient time of day. I’m older. I don’t want to drive late at night or early in the morning,” Bellings said. The airport will continue operations with the University of Dubuque Aviation program and occasional charter flights, but the passenger terminal will remain largely empty. City leaders said they are working to find ways to make daily air service sustainable in the future.

(Radio Iowa) – MidAmerican Energy is pulling the plug on a wind farm it had proposed in northwest Iowa. Woodbury County Board of Supervisors chairman Dan Bittinger says he’s been notified of the company’s decision. “They called and they said they that they are terminating all easements for that project and that the project is shutting down,” Bittinger said.

MidAmerican’s proposed Siouxland Wind Farm would have had about 60 wind turbines. At times, crowds of over 100 people had attended Woodbury County supervisors meetings to express their opposition to the project. “Thank you to all our citizens for their support and just their feedback regarding that project over the years,” Bittinger said. “That’s just a good win for the county.”

Woodbury County Supervisor Mark Nelson says the intense public debate about the project turned out to be a positive.  “Although they were trying to stop something, it was very uniting and I heard from a lot of people that they didn’t know that their neighbors or the guy down the road or that this person over here cared so much about the future of the county,” Nelson said. “And it has made a lot of friendships of people that have otherwise would have never met, or had a conversation about the future of Woodbury County.”

MidAmerican unveiled plans for the wind farm in late 2021 and began acquiring easements in early 2022. Some landowners have already received annual payments for those easements and a MidAmerican spokesman says they’ll be able to keep that money. MidAmerican owns and operates more wind energy than any other investor-owned utility in the nation. The company says it considers a number of factors when deciding whether the continue projects, including acceptance from the community and increases in costs.

(Radio Iowa) – A ceremony was held in Delaware yesterday (Wednesday) as the bodies of two Iowa soldiers who were killed Saturday in Syria were returned to American soil. Sergeant Nate Howard of Marshalltown and Sergeant Edgar Torres-Tovar of Des Moines were among the 18-hundred Iowa National Guard soldiers who deployed to the Middle East in May. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, who retired from the Iowa National Guard in 2015, flew to Germany to accompany the soldiers’ remains back to the United States.

“Members of congress typically don’t go over, but many of the people I’ve served with are serving right now in the Middle East and it was just really important that I make sure everything go well and they didn’t need to worry,” Ernst said. “I wanted the families to know that their loved ones would be cared for on their journey back to the United States.” Ernst says a handful of Iowa National Guard soldiers had accompanied the bodies of Howard and Torres-Tovar from the battlefield to Germany. Two of those soldiers were on the flight from Germany to Delaware. Sergeant Howard’s brother, who’s also been serving in the Middle East, was also on the flight to Dover Air Force Base.

President Trump, Gov. Reynolds, Iowa National Guard leadership and other officials observe the dignified transfer of Sergeants Nate Howard and Edgar Torres-Tovar at Dover Air Force Base on Dec. 17, 2025. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Zach Sheely)

“He knelt down by that transfer case and wept,” Ernst said, her voice breaking with emotion. “It’s just really hard.” During yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) ceremony in Delaware, Governor Reynolds, Senator Ernst and other Iowa elected officials stood on the tarmac alongside military officials and President Trump — facing the seating area for the soldiers’ families. Ernst says watching the flag draped coffins carried off the plane was heartbreaking. “That’s when it really hits you,” Ernst said. “And I think for all of us it was a very moving and meaningful moment.”

Delaware Senator Chris Coons attends every one of the ceremonies when soldiers’ remains are flown from overseas to the Dover Air Force Base. He told Ernst yesterday (Wednesday) that it’s because often there are no elected officials present. “He said, ‘The entire time I’ve been in the senate, I’ve done this and I have never seen a group like this,'” Ernst said. “Everyone showed up. Iowa shows up. We were there for our fallen. They are our sons and we are going to take care of them and we are going to take care of their families.”

Congressman Zach Nunn of Ankeny, who served 20 years in the Air Force, was also on the tarmac for the ceremony.  “The incredible courage and heroism of young people who have stood up to defend this country and, in this case, given their all, so that their battle buddies and the home front can be safer pierced the air of being out there,” Nunn said. Nunn also visited with the families of the two Iowa soldiers. “They were so proud of the sons that they had raised, their boyfriend they had, the husband they had and that this was something they had given their life for both for their family,” Nunn said, “but because it was something bigger than themselves.”

Nunn, a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, is also a former active-duty officer in the Iowa National Guard.  “Both of these young men — they’re going to leave a gap in their community and their family,” Nunn said, “but they’re also going to leave just a really important chapter in their family’s life of what they sacrificed for those who stayed behind: our family, our friends, our community here in Iowa.” Ernst is encouraging Iowans to line the streets and salute the funeral processions for the two slain soldiers. “As we’re approaching the holiday season it’s going to be very difficult for these families. They will have a hole that wasn’t there before and so they just need to know we take their service very seriously and we appreciate their sacrifice.”

Senator Chuck Grassley, Congressman Randy Feenstra and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson also attended yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) ceremony. Feenstra says it was a solemn and deeply moving experience. Hinson says words cannot fully capture the weight of the moment or the depth of gratitude Iowans owe the slain soldiers and their families.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The newly elected Mayor of Atlantic was sworn-in this (Wednesday) evening, during a meeting of the Atlantic City Council. Current Mayor Grace Garrett issued the Oath of Office to Rob Clausen, who succeeds Garrett, who chose not to run for re-election.

Mayor Elect Rob L. Clausen, Jr., is sworn-in by Mayor Garrett.

Garrett officially became Mayor in January, 2022, after winning a run-off election in November, 2021 by a razor thin margin. She reflected back on her experiences over nearly the past four-years and what’s to come.

The Mayor extended seasons greetings to the Council and community, before closing out her elected career.

Clausen takes over the center seat on the Council’s table, effective January 1st, 2026. Also sworn-in this evening, was Jeremy Butler, who was appointed by the Council to fill the seat left vacant in September by the resignation due to health concerns, of long-time Councilman Gerald Brink. Butler was unopposed for the seat during the November 4th, 2025 elections.

Jeremy Butler is sworn-in as At-Large Atlantic City Councilman.

Incumbent 2nd Ward Councilman Jim Behrens was also unopposed in November, and was re-elected to his seat. Behrens was also sworn-in, Wednesday.

2nd Ward Councilman Jim Behrens is sworn-in by Mayor Garrett

In other business, the Atlantic City Council received reports from Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Andersen, Produce in the Park Market Manager Ciara Hoegh, and Meals on Wheels representative Sue Mosier. We’ll have details on their reports in a later post.

And, the Council passed a resolution “Authorizing the use of a preliminary official statement for the sale of General Obligation Corporate Purpose Refunding Bonds, Series 2026.” A similar resolution was adopted April 2nd (2025) by the Council for the 2025B G.O. series.

(Red Oak, IA) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a Pottawattamie County woman was arrested today (Wednesday) on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an original – Possession of Methamphetamine/1st offense – charge. 44-year-old Heather S. Caddell, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 3:10 p.m.

Caddell was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Attorney General Brenna Bird says Iowa is part of a multi-state settlement with the home improvement chain Menards. A statement from the Attorney General says the settlement resolves 2020 claims the company incorrectly marketed its 11 percent rebate program.

Menards has agreed to clearly communicate the rebate limitations, and to let customers have one year from the purchase of an item to apply for the rebate. Menards has also agreed to update their online rebate tracker information within 48 hours of the application and include updates on how returns will impact a rebate. Iowa is receiving nearly 447-thousand dollars from the settlement.

Attorney’s General from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota also joined in the settlement.