Iowa Water & Agriculture: Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig pushed back on “blame the farmers” claims at the Farm Progress Show, pointing to a 2025 Polk County study linking farm pollution to central Iowa nitrate levels and highlighting the Sept. 9 deadline for cover-crop signups under the $319M “Farm to Faucet” plan; the state is also expanding a cattle conservation effort as beef prices stay high but herd numbers remain low. Statehouse & Business Climate: Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was named co-chair of the NASS Business Services Committee, underscoring Iowa’s work on business identity theft and fraud prevention; meanwhile, Gov. Kim Reynolds says Iowa employers will get the lowest possible unemployment insurance tax rates for a fifth straight year. Education Savings: State Treasurer Roby Smith announced a third ISave 529 fee reduction, cutting the plan’s only fee to 0.15% ($1.50 per $1,000) effective Sept. 1. Fraud Watch: BBB Scam Tracker data shows Leon, Iowa tied for 15th in the state for July scam reports, with losses including a romance scam; separate Iowa City and other local updates continue to show phishing and online purchase as common themes. Local Economy & Growth: The Greater Des Moines Partnership will hand out 2026 Economic Impact Awards to seven companies, including American Equity’s downtown HQ move and a major expansion by Holmes Murphy. Higher Ed & Workforce: UNI received $970,000 for upgrades to its Foundry 4.0 Center, and Kirkwood opened job-shadow applications for the 2026-27 school year.