Biography

Donna Chamberlain Winburn was born on a farm near Lovilia, Iowa, in 1935 to a farm family whose ancestors had settled Monroe County. She attended a small rural school and graduated from Albia High School in 1953. After graduation, she commuted to an office job at the Maytag Corporation in Newton, Iowa until 1960 when she married Russell Winburn. He had served in the military and farmed with his father. They moved to the farm owned by the elder Winburns north of Grinnell, Iowa, and raised three children. In 1964, they borrowed money from the Federal Land Bank (FLB) to buy a local farm, and in 1973, they borrowed money to purchase a second farm in the area. They also borrowed from the Production Credit Association (PCA), “a sister of the FLB,” to finance year-to-year purchases. When interest rates increased and land values decreased in the early 1980s, the Winburns fought the PCA and FLB to keep their land and assets. They became involved with PrairieFire Rural Action and Iowa Farm Unity Coalition. Donna Winburn ran several meetings protesting the FLB actions in the Marshall area. Following a meeting with Gary Lamb, an assistant to Senator Harkin, Winburn was asked to start a chapter of the Farmers’ Union in Poweshiek County. She is active with the Education Committee of the board of directors of the Farmers’ Union and continues to keep the financial records of the Winburn farm land.

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