Being a lifelong Iowan and a farmer’s daughter, I admit I’m a little biased about our great state. I love the people, the land, even (mostly) the changing weather. Now, it seems I’m not alone.

A new re­­port from U.S. News and World Report says Iowa is one of the Top 10 Best States in the Nation. We rank sixth, and even though the survey looked at more than 60 metrics, the survey claims it’s our strong agriculture base that deserves...