![\"Lea](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/lea-and-denny-rehberg-300x199.jpg\")
Lea and Denny Rehberg farm in rural Walker, Iowa. CREDIT CINDY HADISH<\/p>\nIowa farmers markets could be a refuge from food inflation, at least in the short term.<\/p>\n
Surging fuel prices, fertilizer prices that have risen nearly 50% since the war in Iran began and other input costs that affect farmers won\u2019t necessarily translate to higher prices for local market-goers.<\/p>\n
Lea and Denny Rehberg farm in rural Walker, Iowa. CREDIT CINDY HADISH<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be keeping our prices the same,\u201d said Denny Rehberg, who raises purebred Hampshire hogs with his wife, Lea, on their farm in rural Walker, a small community in northern Linn County.<\/p>\n
Prices for their top-selling bacon, pork chops, tenderloins, sausages and other favorites sold by Rehberg\u2019s Pork at Hiawatha, Marion, Iowa City and downtown Cedar Rapids markets will likely hold steady, with the couple absorbing costs of higher inputs as long as they\u2019re able, he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Rehberg noted that most of their farm essentials are purchased a year in advance, and the locker where the meat is processed is keeping expenses reasonable. The farm uses no antibiotics or hormones, and grow their own non-GMO grain to feed the Hampshire hogs, a private purebred herd raised unconfined.<\/p>\n
Family members also sell popular breakfast sandwiches at the Downtown Farmers Market in Cedar Rapids, as well as in Hiawatha. All four of the markets have opening days in May, keeping the family on the road, with higher fuel prices, as they split their time between the markets.<\/p>\n
Hiawatha market manager Dawn Ewoldt said more than 50 vendors are scheduled for the well-attended weekly Sunday markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a full house,\u201d she said, adding that 11 vendors are on a waiting list. \u201cWe want to expand because we\u2019re getting so much interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though she was unsure if others will follow suit in maintaining their prices, Ms. Ewoldt said none of the farmers have dropped out \u2014 the market also features bakers, artisans and other vendors \u2014 so rising input prices \u201cdon\u2019t seem to have affected them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keith Bloomer, a produce vendor at the Hiawatha market, as well as in West Liberty and Marion, said he will try to maintain prices, even as he is taking a hit on several fronts, including diesel that he uses for his trucks, rising above $5 per gallon this month compared to $3.50 last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to try to hold to what I had last year,\u201d he said, citing prices on his tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, green beans, watermelon, sweet corn and numerous other crops he grows on about 44 acres near Conesville, in southeastern Iowa. \u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of customers who don\u2019t have a lot of money who come and see me. Everyone\u2019s having a hard time and I don\u2019t want to raise my prices unless I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Mr. Bloomer looks at his bottom line, he said, so he doesn\u2019t become one of the growing number of farmers filing for bankruptcy nationwide.<\/p>\n
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, 315 farm bankruptcies were filed last year, up 46% from 2024, as declining farm income, rising debt and higher costs strained farmers. <\/p>\n
Iowa and other Midwestern states led with 121 Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most recent farm income forecast confirmed that the farm economy has faced extreme financial pressure, with little relief in sight,\u201d the group noted in its Market Intel report from earlier this year. \u201cSignificant losses are expected across crop sectors for another year, and many livestock sectors are also tightening margins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Bloomer has seen that squeeze in fuel prices, equipment repairs, and other inputs, such as fungicides, pesticides and commercial fertilizer.<\/p>\n
About one-third of the world\u2019s fertilizer supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed for months.<\/p>\n
Seed prices also have escalated, with some of Mr. Bloomer\u2019s favorite tomatoes costing about $1 per seed, and the price of germinating seed at off-site greenhouses went up from $10 to $14 per tray this year, he noted.<\/p>\n
Those increases add up, and the cost of labor is also on the rise. For example, hiring workers to pick strawberries went up from $10.50 per hour in 2024 to $15 last year, and an asking rate of $18 per hour this year, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe inputs are out of this world,\u201d Mr. Bloomer said. \u201cIt\u2019s all risk, and the reward is less than going to the casino.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether or not farmers dropping out is the reason, at least two Eastern Iowa markets will be on hiatus this year. <\/p>\n
Belle Plaine and Dysart are ending operations, at least for this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo customers and no vendors,\u201d said Nancy Weise, who helped run the longtime Belle Plaine market, where she sold her own baked goods and vegetables.<\/p>\n
And while Dysart\u2019s farmers market at City Park has been suspended for this summer, the Dysart Country Club is starting its own market on the first and third Thursdays of the month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to pick up that torch locally,\u201d said Sevana Keffer, a baker who is helping to launch the new market.<\/p>\n
Farmers markets in some smaller towns don\u2019t directly compete with grocery stores, where food inflation is tangible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have any grocery stores here,\u201d said Bobbie Cunningham, who manages the Harpers Ferry farmers market, in northeastern Iowa. <\/p>\n
Tourists visiting the riverside town augment the locals who shop for wine, baked goods, honey and more at the Friday night markets, she said, keeping the 20 or so vendors in business.<\/p>\n
In Coralville, market manager Kristie Wetjen said she expects 20 to 25 vendors weekly at the Wednesday night markets that begin in June, \u201cwith quite a few new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customer turnout at the Iowa River Landing, where the market is located, could be boosted with a free group walk, run, or bike ride held in conjunction with the market, she said, while interest remains high in buying local foods.<\/p>\n
Ms. Wetjen cited transportation costs of produce and other food as \u201ca huge part of what you pay at the grocery store,\u201d she said. \u201cI think inflation and frustration with prices at the stores will help the markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farmers markets operating in Linn and Johnson counties this season<\/p>\n
See HomegrownIowan.com for a list of more than 50 Eastern Iowa markets.<\/p>\n
Johnson County<\/p>\n
\u2014 Coralville, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, June 3 through Aug. 5, new location: Iowa River Landing E. Second Avenue near Crisp & Green by Xtream Arena; Watts Group, (319) 338-4100. iowariverlanding.com\/coralville-farmers-market<\/p>\n
\u2014 Field to Family online market, orders taken 5 p.m. Sundays until noon Tuesdays. Pickup 3:30-6:30 p.m. Thursdays at warehouse behind Pepperwood Plaza, 1049 Hwy. 6, Iowa City; (319) 855-2649. fieldtofamily.org\/online-farmers-market<\/p>\n
\u2014 Global Food Project Market, 3-5:30 p.m. Saturdays, July 18 through Sept. 26, Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, 4811 Melrose Ave., Iowa City; Special market 3-5:30 p.m. July 11 at Pepperwood Plaza, 1049 Hwy. 6, Iowa City.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Iowa City, 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays, May 2 through Oct. 31, Chauncey Swan parking ramp, 415 E. Washington St.; Bill Lane, (319) 356-5100. icgov.org\/farmersmarket<\/p>\n
\u2014 Shueyville, 4-6 p.m. Fridays, May through September, Secret Cellar, 1205 Curtis Bridge Rd. NE; secretcellarwines.com<\/p>\n
\u2014 Swisher, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursdays, June 4 through Oct. 1, Rose and Second Avenue; (319) 857-4539.
www.swisheria.org<\/p>\n
Linn County<\/p>\n
\u2014 Cedar Rapids Bever Park, 4-6 p.m. Wednesdays, June 3 through Sept. 23, Old MacDonald\u2019s Farm entrance, 2700 Bever Ave. SE; Cathy Cropp-Scanlon, (319) 286-5699. www.cedar-rapids.org<\/p>\n
\u2014 Cultivate Hope, 4-7 p.m. Thursdays, May 21 through Oct. 8, Matthew 25 Urban Farm, 437 G Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids; www.hub25.org\/food\/markets<\/p>\n
\u2014 Downtown Cedar Rapids, 7:30 a.m. to noon May 30; June 6 & 20; July 18; Aug. 1 & 15 and Sept. 5 & 19. Market After Dark, 6:30-11 p.m. Aug. 29; Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, www.cedarrapids.org<\/p>\n
\u2014 Center Point, 4-6 p.m. Wednesdays, June 3 through Sept. 30, Pizza Place parking lot, 126 Franklin St.; last Wednesday of the month at Center Point Heights, 800 Mustang Lane; City Hall, (319) 849-1508.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Central City, 4-6 p.m. Thursdays, June 4 through Sept. 24, Veterans Memorial Park, Fifth Street S.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Fairfax, 4-6 p.m. Mondays, May 4 through Sept. 28, Library, 313 Vanderbilt St.; (319) 846-2994.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Hiawatha, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, May 3 through Oct. 25, Guthridge Park parking lot, 10th Avenue; (319) 393-1515. www.hiawatha-iowa.com<\/p>\n
\u2014 Marion, 8-11 a.m. Saturdays, May 2 through Sept. 26, Willowood Park, 1855 35th St.; Marion Parks & Recreation, (319) 447-3590,
www.cityofmarion.org<\/p>\n
\u2014 Uptown Marion, 8 a.m. to noon June 13, July 11, Aug. 8 and Sept. 26, Seventh Avenue; Marion Chamber of Commerce, (319) 377-6316. www.marioncc.org<\/p>\n
\u2014 NewBo City Market, Regular hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, 1100 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids; www.newbocitymarket.org<\/p>\n
\u2014 Palo, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays, May 31; June 14 & 28; July 12 & 26; Aug. 9 & 23; Sept. 13, Clymer Park on Main Street; www.facebook.com\/designsonwillow<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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