U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is in the Midwest Thursday, touring crop damage in central Iowa after a growing season characterized by damage from both drought conditions and the severe derecho system that traversed the area in early August. Lawmakers like Iowa senators Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst say they hope the tour will highlight the damage adverse conditions have inflicted on the corn and soybean crops, as well as efforts farmers are taking to reduce nutrient runoff and the status of the biofuels sector that the lawmakers say is in dire need of federal assistance. Learn more about the tour.
