What makes Iowa so much more Democratic than Nebraska, Kansas, etc.

[HIthere]

Hey, an old Iowan here.  Grew up in Cedar Rapids and got my degree from Iowa State.  Got my commission and served in the Navy after that, and I got some words about Iowa:
I wonder where all the dairy references are from.  Sure, there were a great number of dairy farmers in Iowa (like my great-grandfather), but right now there is an abundance of pig farmers and corn growers in Iowa. It used to be that you could have 200 head of cattle and do great.  You can make just so much more money in the corn business than in the dairy business these days.  I think the diaries are now all in Western Iowa; Eastern Iowa has richer soils. Check out why all politicians love ethanol right around election time- it may correlate with the number persons accepting huge corn subsidies in the crowd.  Who says Republicans don't like subsidized green energy?

Also, look at a political map.  Rural Iowa has been hemorrhaging population for a while now.  Cities are making Iowa democratic, and as they grow, Iowa becomes more democratic.  Also, check out the rate at which people attend college in those cities.  Almost half of Iowa City has a four year degree which means educated and urban.  There is a huge rural/urban divide as well as an East/West divide.  If you were close to the Mississippi, you got a long history of agricultural industry booming: see Quaker Oats. You also have very, very, very rich soil. Western Iowa looks and acts a lot like Nebraska (rural and land locked).  Family farms are going by the wayside and being replaced by huge combines and persons wealthy enough to afford the loan to buy the acreage throughout the state and farms demand less human labor in general.  As Iowa changes from a population that is primarily an agricultural society to one which is primarily urban, you're going to see the political shift in addition to a demographic shift.