Ben Nuelle

President Donald Trump made a brief stop in storm-ravaged Iowa on Tuesday to promise that federal help would be coming "very rapidly" to help the state recover from the straight-line winds last week that knocked out power, steamrolled corn and soybean fields, and smashed grain bins.   

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is requesting nearly $4 billion in federal aid after straight-line winds smashed grain bins, flattened crops, and left thousands of residents without power last week.

With an eye on winning key battleground states, rural Democrats will be watching their party's national convention this week for a focus on concerns that could peel some voters away from President Donald Trump.

On to September. The Senate has adjourned until after Labor Day, which means we likely won’t see a deal on coronavirus relief this month.

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to be in Des Moines, Iowa, today to formally launch the “Farmers & Ranchers for Trump” coalition. The event is set for this afternoon on the state fairgrounds. Pence also will speak at a town hall sponsored by Heritage Action, the political advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation.

The Agriculture Department estimates that farmers will harvest a record corn crop this fall and produce the second largest amount of soybeans.

Joe Biden has finally ended the speculation with his pick of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. Her selection is being welcomed by environmentalists who believe she will be an aggressive ally on their issues.

Industry analysts, government officials, and insurance adjusters are trying to make sense of just how much damage was done by the heavy winds that cut through the heart of the Corn Belt in a Monday storm system.

Biofuel groups are frustrated election-year politics could be getting in the way of time-sensitive Environmental Protection Agency action on renewable fuel policy that needs to be finalized by the end of the year, and fear voter accountability in farm country will be lost if the agency delays acting before the November election.

Tuesday is another big day in the race for congressional seats critical to Congress. Republicans in Minnesota 7th District will pick a Republican challenger to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson.