Iowa: “Trump Farm Crisis” Billboards to Stretch from Airport to Fairgrounds on July 3rd

Rural Voices USA Launches Billboard Campaign in Des Moines Highlighting Tariff, Ag Funding Cuts, Workforce Impacts on Iowa Farm Prices and Income

DES MOINES, IA – Rural Voices USA, a grassroots organization committed to supporting the economic well-being of rural communities, today announced the launch of a highway billboard campaign in Des Moines highlighting the "Trump Farm Crisis." The billboards (see billboard designs below), strategically positioned near locations where President Trump will visit on July 3rd, draw attention to the mounting challenges facing Iowa farmers and rural communities.

The billboard campaign focuses on key factors driving agricultural economic distress in Iowa and across rural America, including tariffs and trade retaliation, cuts to food aid programs, attacks on science-based agriculture, reductions in USDA support, and the growing scarcity of agricultural workers. In Iowa specifically, farmers are experiencing plummeting corn prices, rising input costs for fertilizers and machinery, and the loss of critical export markets due to trade policies.

"Iowa farmers are facing a Trump-driven storm of challenges that are directly impacting their ability to make a living and support their families," said Chris Gibbs, Board President of Rural Voices USA, who owns and operates 560 acres in Maplewood, Ohio. "The Trump administration's policies on trade, agriculture support, and rural workforce issues are creating real hardship in farm country. These billboards are our way of making sure these voices are heard."

The campaign comes as rural communities across Iowa and the Midwest continue to grapple with rising farm bankruptcies and economic uncertainty. Patty Judge, a Rural Voices USA Board member and former Iowa Lieutenant Governor, emphasized the long-term implications of current agricultural policies.

"Having served as Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture and Lieutenant Governor, I've seen firsthand how policy decisions in Washington directly impact farmers' bottom lines," said Judge, who served as Iowa's lieutenant governor from 2007 to 2011 and as the state's first female secretary of agriculture from 1998 to 2006. "The combination of trade wars, reduced support programs, and workforce challenges is creating unprecedented stress in rural Iowa. Farmers need policies that support their success, not undermine it."

The billboards are located at four strategic positions throughout Des Moines:

• University Avenue northbound, 150 feet east of East 28th Street

• University Avenue southbound, 100 feet east of East 27th Court

• SE 14th Street eastbound, 500 feet south of Court Avenue

• Fleur Drive eastbound, 200 feet south of McKinley

  
  

These locations were specifically chosen for their proximity to the Des Moines airport, where President Trump is scheduled to arrive on July 3rd, and the Iowa State Fairgrounds, where he will deliver remarks.

Rural Voices USA plans to continue highlighting the impacts of current agricultural policies in the months ahead. The organization is particularly focused on how tariffs, retaliatory trade measures, cuts to USDA support programs, and agricultural workforce challenges continue to threaten farm economies and contribute to rising bankruptcy rates in rural communities.

"This is just the beginning of our efforts to ensure that the voices of rural America are heard," Gibbs added. "We will continue to advocate for policies that support thriving rural communities and sustainable agriculture."

More information about the issues driving what Rural Voices USA calls the "Trump Farm Crisis" can be found at: https://www.ruralvoices.us/trumpfarmcrisis

About Rural Voices USA: Rural Voices USA is a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting the economic well-being of rural communities across America. The organization advocates for policies that strengthen rural economies, support family farms, and ensure the long-term viability of agricultural communities.