The Lobe Rangers: The Iowa Farmers Taking Matters into Their Own Hands

Published: Jul 2026
By: Jennifer New

A trio of Iowa farmers have taken up arms. Using straight talking social media videos, they are fighting for the state's water quality.

They ride under the name The Lobe Rangers, a take on the area in which they farm. The “Des Moines Lobe” is a tongue-shaped geographic area in north-central Iowa formed by glaciers thousands of years ago. It stretches from the Minnesota border down to Des Moines. The three farmers – Matt Borman, James Hepp, and Zack Smith – started the project last year and seem to only be at the beginning of a wave of farmer-led education and activism.

They identify their project and non-partisan and share that two of them are Republicans and one is an Independent. In addition to farmers, they call themselves conservationists and rural neighbors “who believe that the stewardship of Iowa’s land is a shared responsibility. We view clean water not as a byproduct of farming, but as its most vital output. Founded on the principle that the health of our soil is mirrored in the quality of our streams, we are building a movement that values both the harvest and the habitat.”

THE PROBLEM
A report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources was just released (July 2026), indicating that Iowa had 36 nitrate-related drinking water violations in 2025, which is more than double the number reported in 2024. The report noted that nitrate concentrations in finished drinking water above the EPA standard are considered an acute violation, and pose an “immediate” health risk.

As the state's cancer rates lead the nation, Iowans are alarmed. And angry. They want change. A lot of fingers are being wagged at conventional ag, and an out-of-the-box, fiery candidate, Chris Jones, is getting a surprising amount of traction in his run for Secretary of Agriculture. (Iowa is in the minority among states that elect this position.)

Borman, Hepp, and Smith are conventional corn and bean farmers who practice strip-till, cover crops, and in-season nitrogen application. They were part of a Snapchat conversation between frustrated farmers who wanted to discuss poor farming practices, erosion, nitrogen management, and conservation solutions in their area. That peer support group evolved into the Lobe Rangers, which is now a 501(c)3.

The main audience for their videos and growing educational offerings – they are are hosting a field day on July 25 – are other farmers who they seek to convert to practices that support water quality. On their web site, they write: “We know firsthand that you can raise abundant, profitable crops while protecting soil and water. We are doing it. But we are also fed up with industry groups projecting that farms like ours represent the whole landscape. They do not.

We’re tired of watching ag lobbying groups and politicians talk conservation at the podium while meaningful legislation dies in the statehouse. We’re tired of voluntary programs being praised as progress when, after 13 years, they haven't produced meaningful results beyond vapid rhetoric.”

CHANGING POLITICAL WINDS
Another audience they seem to be trying to reach are politicians. The three men look like they came out of central casting if the call were for “youngish Midwestern corn farmer.” They're not the so-called fringes.

They believe farmers need to rattle elected officials into hearing that change is needed. It is desired and demanded by a growing number of Iowans who are tired of not being able to swim outdoors or of wondering if the water coming out of their faucets is dooming their families to ill health.

In one video, presumably shot in his machine shed, Borman goes after politicians who opt for easy solutions. “When Iowa politicians talk about cleaning up about water, you'll hear two words,” he says “bioreactors and saturated buffers.” Politicians love these because there's a photo op – a ribbon to cut and a press release. He proceeds to unpack what each of these “solutions” actually is and why they aren't the right approach.

With a dash of humor, a lot of accessible language that breaks down complicated ideas, and plenty of research-backed data, the Lobe Rangers are trying to move their farmer peers forward, while educating all of us in the process. This Iowan, for one, is all ears!

Listen to the Lobe Rangers on the Land Stewardship Project's podcast: https://landstewardshipproject.org/podcast/ear-to-the-ground-395-the-lobe-rangers/

Visit their website: https://www.theloberangers.com/