Iowa is hemorrhaging talent, and the numbers are staggering. With 34% more college graduates leaving than staying, the state lost $17.6 billion in potential income from just the 2023 cohort alone. But that's not the only crisis hitting Iowans hard. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers Rivers, and Avery Staker dive into Iowa's brain drain crisis and explore why young professionals—especially LGBTQ+ Iowans—are fleeing the state. Toss some bags about the economic cost of brain drain… how pesticides contribute to Iowa’s cancer problem… and how the Iowa Supreme Court is approaching new “strict scrutiny” language. Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by Zachary Oren Smith and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia. Watch the full episode on Iowa Starting Line’s YouTube. YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Bluesky | Threads | LinkedIn SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 - Classic 1980s Waterloo Tourism Commercial (Viral Opening) 06:30 - Iowa's $17.6 Billion Brain Drain Crisis Begins 08:30 - Why 34% More College Graduates Leave Iowa Than Stay 16:30 - LGBTQ+ Exodus: "Most of My Friends Are Leaving the State" 19:00 - 53 Million Pounds: Iowa's Massive Pesticide Problem 24:00 - Cancer Rates & Agricultural Health Study Findings 32:30 - Iowa Supreme Court's Surprising Gun Law Divisions 36:00 - Domestic Violence & "While Criming" Court Cases LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS: YouTube -    • Cornhole Champions - Full Episodes   Substack - https://cornholechampions.substack.com/ Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5rzNpiA... PocketCasts - https://pca.st/74atty1j ... and everywhere you listen to podcasts FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter - https://x.com/zacharyos Instagram -   / zacharyosmith   Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/zacharyos.bs... Threads - https://www.threads.com/@zachosmith LinkedIn -   / zacharyos   FOLLOW IOWA STARTING LINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter -   / iastartingline   Facebook -   / iowastartingline   TikTok -   / iowastartingline   Instagram -   / iowastartingline   YouTube -    / @iowastartingline  \ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices