Great take on some of the goings-on in Iowa. Now let's add row crop farmers to the list of those who are not paying the _true_ costs of production and letting them pile up for future generations of (probably) taxpayers to deal with. Loss of soil, damage to soil by use of ag chemicals, runoff into streams and rivers that have created a huge Deadzone in the Gulf of Mexico - these are all products of unsustainable farming practices that are so widely used in Iowa today. Public policy that makes landowners subject to environmental standards (not voluntary programs, which clearly haven't worked), including conservation of riparian, wetland, woodland, flood plain and prairie areas would be a place to start, along with making land that should not be farmed ineligible for government programs like crop insurance. And as long as I'm at it: ethanol, the manufacture of which consumes over half of Iowa's corn production, is only useful when mixed with fossil fuels, which are a major contributor to climate change. Just because ethanol comes from corn doesn't make it green. Iowa's amazing soils and timely rains should be used for feeding people, not putting more gas into vehicles.
Thank you. Yes, there's plenty of blame to go around! Much more could be done in terms of using government programs like crop insurance to gain adherence from some of the bad actors. I do believe that progress is being made in Iowa--much too slowly, of course. This includes about 3 million acres in cover crops and as well as measurable progress in phosphorus reduction. Conservation tillage is used on seven of every 10 rows of crop acres, and more than 40% of our row crop acres are no-tilled. We are seeing a steady rise of the use of bioreactors and saturated buffers. Unfortunately, most of the crops that we excel in growing here can't be used directly to feed people. Ethanol is not above criticism, including the current controversy swirling around eminent domain and carbon capture pipelines. Thank you!
Once again you are so right! We need to get back to people over politics! I was at the We Won’t Be Silent rally today. How wonderful to be with a thousand people speaking out for human rights. Thank you Cheryl.
Thank you for connecting all these dots! I am not sure efficiency is even a goal in all this consolidation. Seems to be just profit for the few who wield the most power. Larger firms’ private property rights versus those of the smaller firms….. and in the case of governments, we see China claiming its rights over those of smaller nations. Both the corporatists and “communists” are playing the same card games at the expense of the general populace .
Cheryl- Now I am remembering the concerns we had in the 1980’s about nuclear/radioactive wastes being hauled through on BNRR in southern Iowa and wonder how that stands? Our ability to respond to these accidents is extremely limited whether urban or rural!
This column brings to light so much of what has been happening in our country since the Reagan administration. So many companies have become public companies and profit the return to stockholders is all that matters. The bill that the governor and this republican led legislature not allowing any public pension fund to invest in any company that uses ESG as a model for doing business is the largest exercise of navel gazing I have seen in a long time. It is a classic case of the Iowa legislature legislating for the past (another one in this session). When a company uses ESG as a business model they are committing to giving back to their customers, their community, and to securing a better future for their children and grandchildren. What is so wrong with that?
Legislating for the past, indeed! I don’t believe it cleared the first funnel deadline, but your comment brings to mind the legislation proposed to replace margarine in school lunches with butter! Thank you for your thoughtful observations!
Great take on some of the goings-on in Iowa. Now let's add row crop farmers to the list of those who are not paying the _true_ costs of production and letting them pile up for future generations of (probably) taxpayers to deal with. Loss of soil, damage to soil by use of ag chemicals, runoff into streams and rivers that have created a huge Deadzone in the Gulf of Mexico - these are all products of unsustainable farming practices that are so widely used in Iowa today. Public policy that makes landowners subject to environmental standards (not voluntary programs, which clearly haven't worked), including conservation of riparian, wetland, woodland, flood plain and prairie areas would be a place to start, along with making land that should not be farmed ineligible for government programs like crop insurance. And as long as I'm at it: ethanol, the manufacture of which consumes over half of Iowa's corn production, is only useful when mixed with fossil fuels, which are a major contributor to climate change. Just because ethanol comes from corn doesn't make it green. Iowa's amazing soils and timely rains should be used for feeding people, not putting more gas into vehicles.
Thank you. Yes, there's plenty of blame to go around! Much more could be done in terms of using government programs like crop insurance to gain adherence from some of the bad actors. I do believe that progress is being made in Iowa--much too slowly, of course. This includes about 3 million acres in cover crops and as well as measurable progress in phosphorus reduction. Conservation tillage is used on seven of every 10 rows of crop acres, and more than 40% of our row crop acres are no-tilled. We are seeing a steady rise of the use of bioreactors and saturated buffers. Unfortunately, most of the crops that we excel in growing here can't be used directly to feed people. Ethanol is not above criticism, including the current controversy swirling around eminent domain and carbon capture pipelines. Thank you!
Once again you are so right! We need to get back to people over politics! I was at the We Won’t Be Silent rally today. How wonderful to be with a thousand people speaking out for human rights. Thank you Cheryl.
Thanks, Denise. I was encouraged to see the sizeable turn-out!
Smart, sane, well-researched. Thank you.
Thanks so much!
Thank you for connecting all these dots! I am not sure efficiency is even a goal in all this consolidation. Seems to be just profit for the few who wield the most power. Larger firms’ private property rights versus those of the smaller firms….. and in the case of governments, we see China claiming its rights over those of smaller nations. Both the corporatists and “communists” are playing the same card games at the expense of the general populace .
You’re welcome. Your point is well-taken; perhaps it’s only the guise of “efficiency.”
Cheryl- Now I am remembering the concerns we had in the 1980’s about nuclear/radioactive wastes being hauled through on BNRR in southern Iowa and wonder how that stands? Our ability to respond to these accidents is extremely limited whether urban or rural!
You nailed it!
Thanks!
This column brings to light so much of what has been happening in our country since the Reagan administration. So many companies have become public companies and profit the return to stockholders is all that matters. The bill that the governor and this republican led legislature not allowing any public pension fund to invest in any company that uses ESG as a model for doing business is the largest exercise of navel gazing I have seen in a long time. It is a classic case of the Iowa legislature legislating for the past (another one in this session). When a company uses ESG as a business model they are committing to giving back to their customers, their community, and to securing a better future for their children and grandchildren. What is so wrong with that?
Legislating for the past, indeed! I don’t believe it cleared the first funnel deadline, but your comment brings to mind the legislation proposed to replace margarine in school lunches with butter! Thank you for your thoughtful observations!