Iowa and Indiana Propose Annexing Neighboring State Counties

Iowa Senator Mike Bousselot wants to “Make Minnesota Iowa again” by buying the bottom edge of his home state’s northern neighbor.

At the Land Investment Expo on Tuesday, Bousselot, R-Ankeny, announced he will introduce a bill in the Iowa legislature to purchase the lower nine counties of Minnesota. The specific language of the bill has not been made public yet. 

The counties included in the proposal are Rock, Nobles, Jackson, Martin, Faribault, Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore, and Houston, all of which border Iowa at the southern edge of Minnesota.

According to Bousselot, “When the Iowa Territory originally existed, we went further north into what is currently Minnesota, and many of those counties were originally going to be a part of the state of Iowa.” Bousselot admitted the plan may seem laughable but stated, “[T]his is the real deal. It’s a real land deal.”

Answering the ‘What Ifs’ for Agriculture

If the nine counties were acquired, about 185,000 people from Minnesota would become Iowans, according to University of Minnesota Extension data. That’s just over 3% of the state’s total population.

Besides a change in population, the move would effectively relocate over 8,000 farms from Minnesota to Iowa, according to data from USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture. Together, the nine counties contribute 19% – nearly one-fifth – of Minnesota’s ag sales.

There are about 3.3 million farm acres across the nine Minnesota counties. Based on 2022 Census data, if the nine counties are acquired by Iowa, the Hawkeye State would further extend its lead as the nation’s top corn producing state. The state would also take the lead as top soybean producing state, booting Illinois out of the number one spot. 

Losing about 1.2 million soybean acres would likely cause Minnesota to tumble down the soybean production rankings, below North Dakota.

Reactions Mixed Among Iowa and Minnesota Leaders

Open to the idea

The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that “Iowa legislative leaders disagree on whether a proposal to allow the state buy nine southern Minnesota counties is an ‘outside the box’ idea worth exploring or ‘frankly offensive’ to Iowans with more pressing concerns.”

“‘I’d take southern Minnesota,’ said Senate President Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton. She added, laughing in response to a reporter’s question, that ‘it’s a joke until it’s not,’” according to the Register’s reporting.

“‘I had never thought of it before,’ she said. ‘It’s an interesting proposal and Mike’s an outside of the box thinker and I’ll let him think outside the box.’”

House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, told Register reporters, ‘I look forward to having that conversation.’”

“‘Anytime we can continue to grow Iowa, it’s something we should at least engage in,’ he said. ‘And I think you’re actually seeing in some other states some similar legislation being discussed. But at this point I haven’t spent enough time looking at the bill, but more than happy to take a look.’”

Critical of the proposal

“Iowa’s Democratic legislative leaders criticized the proposal as unserious,” according to the Register.

“‘We have serious problems in this state,’ said House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights. ‘We have real families who are struggling with their bills and their budgets. And it seems to me that this is not a realistic approach and it’s one to seek headlines. And frankly it’s offensive to the people who are trying to pay their bills.’”

“Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, agreed that purchasing part of Minnesota is a poor use of the state’s time,” said the Register.

“‘We have 99 counties in Iowa,’ she said. ‘We have enough to do.’”

Officials in one of the Minnesota counties have reacted to the proposal, according to reporting by ABC News 19. “Peggy Glynn, Chair of the Mower County Board of Commissioners, says she’s amused by the offer, but Mower County is not for sale,” said ABC.

“It’s a sentiment that is echoed by the county administrator, Trish Harren Gjersvik. ‘Many of our counties have a high tax base, we’re agriculture orientated, which is really the highest and best use of our land. If I were Iowa, I might want that too,’ Harren said,” according to ABC’s reporting.

Mayor Steve King of Austin, Minnesota, Mower’s county seat, said he’s “flattered to see Iowa politicians take an interest in Mower County communities like Austin, but he’s happy to see the border remain a few miles south for now,” according to ABC.

“‘I guess to me it’s something we should think about as, thank you so much for the thought that we are worth purchasing, worth moving into Iowa. But no thank you,’ Mayor King said,” according to ABC.

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party responded to the announcement in a post on X with, “Counteroffer: No.”

Indiana Eying Neighboring Illinois Counties

Iowa isn’t the only state considering adding a neighboring state’s counties. On Tuesday, Indiana House of Representatives Speaker Todd Huston unveiled House Bill 1008, which would establish the “Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission.” The goal of the commission would be “to discuss and recommend whether it is advisable to adjust the boundaries between the two states.” Representatives Jack Jordan and Shane Lindauer co-authored the bill.

House Bill 1008 comes just months after several counties in Illinois voted in favor of exploring leaving the Prairie State.

NBC Chicago reported in November that seven Illinois counties voted in favor of exploring secession. Those counties were Iroquois, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Madison, and Perry. Before that, “at least two dozen counties have already voted affirmatively on the non-binding initiatives,” according to NBC’s report. 

Supporters of secession cite the impact Chicago and Cook County have on state policy and that “rural counties share different interests that are not being represented by the actions of the General Assembly,” according to NBC.

If even just those seven Illinois counties were to be purchased by Indiana, the Hoosier State would acquire almost 5,500 farms and nearly 2 million acres of farmland, based on 2022 Census data. The seven counties collectively account for over 7% of Illinois’ state agriculture sales.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is not supportive of the proposed bill. According to a report by the Indy Star Thursday, “‘It’s a stunt. It’s not going to happen,’ Pritzker said in response to a question about the secession bill. ‘I’ll just say Indiana is a low-wage state that doesn’t protect workers, a state that does not provide health care for people when they’re in need, and so I don’t think it’s attractive for anybody in Illinois where wages are higher where the standard of living is higher, and we do provide health care for people in need.’”