It hasn't made any headlines yet, but Iowa's farmland may gain a new watchdog. Not to guard against the pragmatic threats keeping farmers awake at night – urban sprawl, soil erosion, finding affordable land, or eminent domain. No. In the 2024 Condition of the State address this week, Governor Reynolds set her sights on a global target:
This is a great article and covers so many topics! I have comments and suggestions in response to a couple of them.
First - Completely agree with the general sentiment of foreign ownership of farmland in Iowa - it's far from the biggest issue that we should be worried about. Wouldn't it be interesting if we took it farther, though, and required people who own farmland to live in Iowa? Or said another way - what if we were as worried about out-of-state speculators as we were about out-of-country speculators?
Second - I would love for you - perhaps we could together? - dig into the "farmers are getting older" theme. This is something that some folks have been saying for decades. It's not inaccurate. But it misses badly something that I think is far worse: the consolidation of farms. My back-of-the-envelope, off-the-cuff numbers go like this: two generations ago, 400 acres was sufficient for a farming family to earn a living, and it was plenty to keep a "farm family" busy. Today, conventional row crop operators -- which is most of "farmers" in Iowa today -- are farming upwards of 4000 acres. Said another way: 10 farm families two generations ago can be replaced by 1 farm operator today. So the related ideas that "farmers are getting older" and "we need to support beginning farmers" -- well, these ideas have issues from where I sit. Assuming the trend of farm operation consolidation continues - and given everything coming down the technology pipeline (lots) and the regulation pipeline (nothing on this front), there is no reason to believe otherwise - then if only 1 in 10 families today has a child that wants to farm... then we do not have either an aging farmer nor a beginning farmer problem.
There are caveats to this, for sure. Innovative farm families are finding ways to add enterprises to their existing operations in order to include kid(s) that want to live that lifestyle. Conventional row crops have lots of [environmental, human health, etc.] issues - alternative approaches to farming are often more labor- and thought- intensive and may alter my 10:1 ratio.
Regarding farmland that is being taken in for development... it's hard to see families that have been farming for generations lose that heritage. I grew up, and still live in, the North Polk district, which is where families on the north side of Ankeny are going. Nearly every time I drive anywhere, I drive by places that were once farmed, and are now houses and pavement. That does not feel good. And, the other piece of this is: Iowa needs less than 1% of Iowa's land to feed itself. Mind you - we do not actually feed ourselves today - what I have seen suggests 80-90% of the money Iowans spend on food goes out of state. But if we did - Iowa's 3 million people could be fed by 1% of Iowa's approximately 30,000,000 acres.
Wealth extraction: absolutely! And at what scale (system level) is it ok, if any? Out of the country? That seems politically not very acceptable. Out of the state? This issue is being raised more and more, but there is certainly not broad general agreement. Out of the county? Off the farm?
I've been hearing similar points as those raised in this article for the past decade that I have been paying attention to these issues, and I think you for collating them in a well-written way! I would love to dive deeper into many of this issues, and I will as I have time, and implore those of us who care about these issues to go beyond the talking points to see how they are evolving.
Thanks, Tony. I appreciate your interest, and your suggestions for additional follow-up. I try to be mindful of how much to compress into one column! Farmers are aging, and some of them have a younger member of the family to take over. Many more do not. So what will be happening to this farmland---consolidating into the hands of the already large farm neighbors, or figuring out better ways to help the young, beginners without the necessary family support, to competitively bid for it? You're right that some conventional farm operations are encouraging the next generation to add alternative enterprises (not enough, of course!) I can see that you've devoted a lot of thought and passion. Are there forward-thinking, caring leaders on the horizon? Thanks again!
The Iowa Farmers Union was the ONLY entity registered against that mega farm bill last year. Let's keep a sharp eye out as you are Cheryl for corporate ownership, not just foreign, and those hiding behind names that look like family LLCs. Finally, SILT is the only org in Iowa permanently and legally preserving farmland as farmland in perpetuity - which scares the bejeesus out of everyone with any power at all.
Thank, Susan. Yes, Iowa Farmers Union is an outstanding farm group, with stances on these issues that diverge from most mainstream farm groups. Thanks for your past leadership in SILT, and your continued commitment to keeping farmland in farming.
This is a great article and covers so many topics! I have comments and suggestions in response to a couple of them.
First - Completely agree with the general sentiment of foreign ownership of farmland in Iowa - it's far from the biggest issue that we should be worried about. Wouldn't it be interesting if we took it farther, though, and required people who own farmland to live in Iowa? Or said another way - what if we were as worried about out-of-state speculators as we were about out-of-country speculators?
Second - I would love for you - perhaps we could together? - dig into the "farmers are getting older" theme. This is something that some folks have been saying for decades. It's not inaccurate. But it misses badly something that I think is far worse: the consolidation of farms. My back-of-the-envelope, off-the-cuff numbers go like this: two generations ago, 400 acres was sufficient for a farming family to earn a living, and it was plenty to keep a "farm family" busy. Today, conventional row crop operators -- which is most of "farmers" in Iowa today -- are farming upwards of 4000 acres. Said another way: 10 farm families two generations ago can be replaced by 1 farm operator today. So the related ideas that "farmers are getting older" and "we need to support beginning farmers" -- well, these ideas have issues from where I sit. Assuming the trend of farm operation consolidation continues - and given everything coming down the technology pipeline (lots) and the regulation pipeline (nothing on this front), there is no reason to believe otherwise - then if only 1 in 10 families today has a child that wants to farm... then we do not have either an aging farmer nor a beginning farmer problem.
There are caveats to this, for sure. Innovative farm families are finding ways to add enterprises to their existing operations in order to include kid(s) that want to live that lifestyle. Conventional row crops have lots of [environmental, human health, etc.] issues - alternative approaches to farming are often more labor- and thought- intensive and may alter my 10:1 ratio.
Regarding farmland that is being taken in for development... it's hard to see families that have been farming for generations lose that heritage. I grew up, and still live in, the North Polk district, which is where families on the north side of Ankeny are going. Nearly every time I drive anywhere, I drive by places that were once farmed, and are now houses and pavement. That does not feel good. And, the other piece of this is: Iowa needs less than 1% of Iowa's land to feed itself. Mind you - we do not actually feed ourselves today - what I have seen suggests 80-90% of the money Iowans spend on food goes out of state. But if we did - Iowa's 3 million people could be fed by 1% of Iowa's approximately 30,000,000 acres.
Wealth extraction: absolutely! And at what scale (system level) is it ok, if any? Out of the country? That seems politically not very acceptable. Out of the state? This issue is being raised more and more, but there is certainly not broad general agreement. Out of the county? Off the farm?
I've been hearing similar points as those raised in this article for the past decade that I have been paying attention to these issues, and I think you for collating them in a well-written way! I would love to dive deeper into many of this issues, and I will as I have time, and implore those of us who care about these issues to go beyond the talking points to see how they are evolving.
Thanks, Tony. I appreciate your interest, and your suggestions for additional follow-up. I try to be mindful of how much to compress into one column! Farmers are aging, and some of them have a younger member of the family to take over. Many more do not. So what will be happening to this farmland---consolidating into the hands of the already large farm neighbors, or figuring out better ways to help the young, beginners without the necessary family support, to competitively bid for it? You're right that some conventional farm operations are encouraging the next generation to add alternative enterprises (not enough, of course!) I can see that you've devoted a lot of thought and passion. Are there forward-thinking, caring leaders on the horizon? Thanks again!
The Iowa Farmers Union was the ONLY entity registered against that mega farm bill last year. Let's keep a sharp eye out as you are Cheryl for corporate ownership, not just foreign, and those hiding behind names that look like family LLCs. Finally, SILT is the only org in Iowa permanently and legally preserving farmland as farmland in perpetuity - which scares the bejeesus out of everyone with any power at all.
Thank, Susan. Yes, Iowa Farmers Union is an outstanding farm group, with stances on these issues that diverge from most mainstream farm groups. Thanks for your past leadership in SILT, and your continued commitment to keeping farmland in farming.
Another well written, well researched essay. Thank you once again Cheryl for working hard to keep people informed.
Thank you, Denise, for your encouragement and appreciation!
Cheryl
Thank you for this article. I know so little about land ownership in Iowa and this was a real eye opener. I appreciate your thoughtful columns.
Laura Sands
Thank you so much, Laura! I'm glad to know.
Terrific column! I appreciate all of the information you provided.
Thanks, John!