Weakness in ag sector spreading to wider economy

While the national economy may avoid a recession, Iowa could already be experiencing one, driven by significant layoffs in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, said Christopher Pudenz, economics and research manager at the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, at the Farming for the Future conference in Ankeny Nov. 21.

Recent data and expert analysis suggest that the state's economy is already contracting, with ripple effects threatening to impact various sectors and state revenues.

"We have already had more than 4,100 layoffs in the state in the agriculture and manufacturing industries," said...