Annie and I were heartbroken this morning to learn of the passing of Ray Gaesser. On Tuesday of this week, I had the privilege of sitting alongside Ray at a town hall in Southwest Iowa, talking about farming, the future of agriculture, and the challenges facing the people who make their living from the land. Ray was everything you hope an Iowan would will be: positive, hardworking, thoughtful, innovative, and deeply committed to leaving the land better than he found it. He spent his life not only farming, but serving as a tireless advocate for Iowa agriculture and the people who sustain it. It is difficult to comprehend that just days after sharing a conversation with him, he is gone. My heart and prayers are with Ray’s wife Elaine, Ray’s family, his friends, and the entire Southwest Iowa agricultural community. Iowa lost a great farmer and a good man today. I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent some of his final days listening to him and learning from him.

𝓐𝓷𝓷𝓲𝓮 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓙𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓪 𝓙𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝑫𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 3/4 Website:

For Annie Clark — better known as the shape-shifting rocker @st_vincent — identity and performance have always been linked. Two decades into her career, her influence is felt more than ever. She opens up about her experience as a queer musician, new album ‘All Born Screaming’ and more in Billboard’s digital exclusive #Pride# issue, wearing Ultra Open Earbuds by @Bose and @MaggiSimpkins on the cover: