POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Josh Turek’s False Claim Regarding Iowa Leading in Farm Foreclosures
The Claim During a high-stakes debate on Iowa PBS on October 7, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek made a provocative assertion regarding the economic health of the state’s...
The Claim
During a high-stakes debate on Iowa PBS on October 7, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek made a provocative assertion regarding the economic health of the state’s agricultural sector. Turek argued that the policies enacted under the Trump administration—specifically citing trade tariffs and the conflict in Iran—have placed severe financial distress on farmers across the Hawkeye State.
The specific statement that triggered public concern and subsequent investigation was Turek declaring: ‘We lead the nation in farm foreclosures now here in Iowa.’ This claim quickly gained traction as a talking point used to highlight the perceived impact of federal policy on local agricultural stability.
The Details & Investigation
Our investigative dive into Turek’s claim immediately revealed a fundamental disconnect between ‘foreclosures’ and ‘bankruptcies.’ In the legal and financial world, these are vastly different events. A foreclosure occurs when a lender takes possession of property because the borrower failed to make payments. Conversely, a Chapter 12 bankruptcy is a legal process designed specifically for family farmers that allows them to restructure debt and retain their assets through a repayment plan. PolicyWire investigators found that comprehensive national data on farm foreclosures is not publicly accessible or tracked, making it impossible to verify that any state leads the nation in that specific category.
When the Turek campaign was pressed for supporting evidence, they pointed investigators to a Farm Bureau report indexing Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies for 2025. While Iowa did see a significant increase in these filings, the data directly contradicts the claim of being first in the nation. In 2025, Iowa recorded 18 Chapter 12 bankruptcies. This placed Iowa far behind Arkansas, which led with 33, and Georgia with 27. While Iowa’s numbers were indeed a sharp rise from seven in 2024, they were comparable to states like Nebraska (17), Wisconsin, and Missouri (16 each).
Expert analysis from Rabail Chandio, an agriculture economist at Iowa State University, clarifies that while Chapter 12 filings are often used as a proxy for farm financial stress, they do not represent foreclosures. Chandio noted that while the Midwest region as a whole saw a surge in bankruptcies—accounting for 121 of 315 national filings—Iowa specifically was not the leader. Furthermore, the purpose of Chapter 12 is to allow farmers to keep operating while paying back creditors over three to five years, which is the opposite of losing a farm to foreclosure.
Based on this evidence, the claim is categorized as MISINFORMATION. While there is a kernel of truth regarding financial stress and rising bankruptcy numbers in Iowa, the specific use of the term ‘foreclosures’ and the assertion that Iowa ‘leads the nation’ are factually incorrect. The campaign appears to have conflated two distinct financial metrics to create a more alarming political narrative, resulting in a misleading representation of the state’s agricultural economy.
The Verdict
The claim that Iowa leads the nation in farm foreclosures is FALSE. There is no public data to support such a claim, and the evidence provided by the Turek campaign itself—Chapter 12 bankruptcy data—actually refutes the assertion. The data shows that Iowa was ranked third in the nation for bankruptcies, trailing behind Arkansas and Georgia.
By conflating debt restructuring (bankruptcy) with asset seizure (foreclosure) and misrepresenting national rankings, the statement provides an inaccurate view of the Iowa agricultural landscape.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
