Why It Matters
Iowa’s agricultural sector faces significant economic headwinds, and the state’s gubernatorial race is shaping up as a contest over competing visions for farm policy. A major endorsement from a former agriculture secretary signals how central rural economic revival will be to the 2026 campaign.
What Happened
Tom Vilsack, who served as Iowa governor and later as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, endorsed Democrat Rob Sand’s farm policy platform at an event in Ankeny on Wednesday. Vilsack joined more than 50 farmers and former agricultural leaders in a group backing Sand’s candidacy.
Sand’s plan, titled “Opportunities for All,” centers on investments in manure digesters to produce renewable natural gas and fertilizer. The proposal also includes raising the state minimum wage to $12 per hour, ending Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system, and building additional housing stock in rural communities. Sand has proposed establishing a state “rural prosperity” office to coordinate these initiatives.
The agricultural endorsement group includes Patty Judge, a former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and lieutenant governor, along with two former presidents of the Iowa and National Corn Growers Associations. LaVon Griffieon, a Polk County century farmer who hosted a roundtable discussion, also backed Sand. Dave Muhlbauer, Sand’s lieutenant governor nominee, attended the event.
Sand is running against Republican Zach Lahn. The Democratic nominee for secretary of agriculture is Chris Jones.
By the Numbers
More than 50 — farmers and former agricultural leaders in the “Ag Leaders for Sand” endorsement coalition
Nearly 1 million — farms lost nationally over the last 50–60 years, according to Vilsack
$12 per hour — proposed state minimum wage under Sand’s plan
1973 — year Vilsack identified as the beginning of the American farm crisis
2010 — year Iowa voters approved the Water and Land Legacy trust
63% — portion of Iowa voters who supported the IWILL measure
Three-eighths of one cent — revenue from sales tax increase designated for the IWILL trust
Funding Through an Unfunded Mandate
Sand’s agricultural investment strategy relies on the Iowa Water and Land Legacy trust, a fund that has never received appropriated dollars despite voter approval 16 years ago. The trust was designed to receive revenue from a modest increase to the state sales tax—three-eighths of one cent—but the revenue stream was never implemented.
Voters approved the IWILL measure by a wide margin, with 63 percent support. Sand’s plan assumes the Legislature would finally activate the funding mechanism, allowing the trust to support manure digester projects and other conservation investments across the state.
Zoom Out
Farmland consolidation and shrinking farm populations are long-standing national trends. Vilsack’s assertion that the United States has lost nearly a million farms over the past half-century reflects broader structural changes in American agriculture—mechanization, rising input costs, and commodity price volatility have pushed smaller and mid-sized operations out of business.
Agricultural policy has become a more prominent issue in statewide races across the Corn Belt as rural communities confront population decline and economic stagnation. Candidates in Iowa and neighboring states are increasingly proposing targeted investments in renewable energy infrastructure, rural broadband, and value-added agricultural processing as counterweights to commodity-price dependency.
What’s Next
Sand’s campaign will likely continue to emphasize the agricultural endorsement group as he contests the general election. The viability of his IWILL-funded proposals will depend partly on whether Democrats can secure enough legislative seats to advance the funding mechanism. Republicans have not prioritized activating the tax provision, leaving the trust unfunded despite more than a decade of voter approval.