Elevating Trusted Voices in Rural Communities

Local Voices Shaped Policy Debates

Farmers and small business owners are among the most trusted voices in rural America. They create jobs, provide essential services, and speak from lived experience. And our research confirms that rural voters trust them. Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation (IFU) and Main Street Alliance (MSA), elevate these voices and help local leaders share their stories on the issues that matter most at critical moments. 

Farmers Mobilize to Protect Community Health

When a pesticide company pushed for a new Iowa law in 2025 that would have shielded itself from accountability and made it harder for families to sue for damages, IFU organized town halls where farmers shared personal stories about Iowa's high cancer rates and the impact on their neighbors. These first-person accounts helped shift public opinion, drew legislators from both parties, and ultimately helped stop the pesticide immunity bill. 

Small Businesses Speak Out on Tariffs

Similarly, when the Trump administration’s sweeping tariff policies drove up costs for small businesses and strained already thin margins, MSA surveyed its 30,000 small business members and helped them gain a national platform. One rural Wisconsin small business owner told Fox News the policy had caused “quite a lot of tension and stress… and we’re considering pulling back on investments,” putting a human face on the economic fallout in rural communities.  

Rural Voices Shape Health Care Debate

Trusted messengers with IFU and MSA also shaped the conversation around health care cuts, offering farmers' and small business owners' practical economic perspectives to outlets including Iowa Public Radio, CBS, New York Times, and USA Today. Their clear, values-based advocacy led to press conferences with members of Congress and congressional testimony that kept rural experiences at the center of the debate.

By helping farmers and small businesses learn from one another, organize locally, and engage across the political spectrum, our grantees IFU and MSA show how elevating the right voices can change policy debates, deliver better outcomes, and help communities grow stronger.