Iowa Farm Bureau members last week strongly urged the state’s Con­gressional delegation to protect crop insurance programs from budget cuts that could weaken the vital safety net for farmers.

"It’s really an essential tool for us now," Darrick Hall, a Jones County Farm Bureau member, told Iowa Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst at meetings in Washington, D.C. "We’re paying the premiums and have a lot of skin in the game, and we don’t want the government to pull back and weaken the program."

Hall was among a group of 31 Iowa Farm Bureau members who traveled to Washington last week to meet with Iowa lawmakers about key issues. The twice-a-year lobbying trip is de­­signed to highlight key issues to the Iowa delegation and to solidify support for Farm Bureau positions.

Along with emphasizing the need to protect crop insurance, the Farm Bureau members pushed for ditching the proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, urged lawmakers to ...