As an Iowa resident, I think it's worth mentioning that all this is happening at a period in time when state government has been experiencing multiple years of

As an Iowa resident, I think it's worth mentioning that all this is happening at a period in time when state government has been experiencing multiple years of unexpected revenue shortfalls. The governor may have to call the legislature back into special legislative session again next month because revenue is again coming in less than expected. The three state universities will be increasing tuition 7% per year for each of the next five years because of budget cutbacks caused by these revenue shortfalls. Part of the decline in revenue is due to the decline in the ag economy, but some have also attributed it to the increasing amount of tax breaks like these that Iowa has been giving out. Furthermore, this is not just farmland. Waukee is a west Des Moines suburb, the fastest growing part of the state and supposedly one of the fastest growing parts of the US. If Apple hadn't purchased that land, it likely would have been purchased and developed by someone else soon.