Let’s face it. What politicians (Democrat and Republican) and industry lobbyists have been telling us for years has not been helpful to Iowa’s farmers. We feed the world! Be proud that Iowa is the number one producer in the nation of corn, pork, eggs, ethanol, and biodiesel and number two in soybean production! We will find new and expanded markets for your products! And that’s a promise! All you need to do is keep producing as much as you possibly can!
We can all see the results of this kind of agriculture. We have fewer farmers, fewer neighbors, and fewer local businesses to support our farms. Our small towns have lost people, businesses, and schools. The costs to farmers to produce all that corn, soybeans, and pork have gone up but the prices we receive are tied to a global market that has no connection to the realities of farming. Our soil is being degraded, our water is polluted, and recent reports of the increasing rate of cancer in Iowa have everyone concerned.
The status quo will do just fine with a little tweaking around the edges, if you listen to the current Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig. Cover crops, buffers along streams, and even support for local foods are great – but not enough to create the real change we need.
For the future of farming, our family farmers, and all of Iowa, I believe we need to take a serious look at the vision of Secretary of Agriculture candidate Chris Jones. He doesn’t advocate for taking us back in time to a nostalgic idea of what farming once was. He advocates for a future in which we have more farmers on financially strong farms with opportunities for young farmers, a diversity of crops, livestock on the land, greater biodiversity, clean water, and a healthy environment for all of us to live and thrive.
This vision won’t become a reality overnight. In fact, it may be a long road to get there considering the political control of giant agribusinesses at the national and global levels – including what we get paid for our products.
Farmers will need to take the lead. Farmers, after all, understand deeply how the kind of agriculture we have affects us in social, cultural, economic, and environmental ways beyond the products themselves. They can recognize farming as a common good. And, they can see, if they take an honest look, that the direction we are going now is not sustainable nor is it healthy. In fact, today’s agriculture is taking us in the direction of farming without farmers. Jones is changing the conversation around agriculture. He doesn’t have all the answers, but he listens. He is giving us the opportunity to shape Iowa’s agriculture to benefit all Iowans – including farmers. I encourage you to vote for Chris Jones for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on November 3.
Patti Naylor, rural Churdan
