Robert. Thanks for this excellent overview. After living away for 40 years I moved back to Johnson County in 2020 to be near family. My observations of the shifts in the physical, economy, and political landscape of my “home” state was a shock. While, your article brings science and reason to my observations, you have not addressed the human dynamic that has also taken hold: the erosion of freedom; the loss of reflective thought; and the celebration of diversity necessary for a thriving human and more than human community. While industrial farming has been ravaging the land, the corporate mentality has also been ravaging the soul of Iowans. I returned to be near family, but have been cast out because of my capacity for critical thought and reflection and the need to ask my old friends and family “why?” and “how?”. Instead of rich dialogue, I encounter silence, anger, and rejection. We will not make the needed changes without open minds and open hearts. These are the deeper needs behind the public health, education and economic crisis facing Iowa. Where are the state leaders and voices leaning in to these conversations and willing to take a risk for a healthier and just future vs. recreating a past that is no longer viable? Those are the true Iowans…the pioneers who are willing to take risks for a better future.
Wow. So powerful. So true. I often write about some of these issues, but I have no answers. I'll keep thinking about it. If you wanted to write about it, I could post it as a guest essay, but I bet a larger media outlet would want it. thanks!
You already sketched it out. Just expand a little at the sources of your troubles and any solutions you might see. Many of us feel the same way you do and your thoughts and advice might be helpful. Give it a whirl!
The efficiency of modern American agriculture is stunning and cascades throughout our economy, even enabling one of our major export successes. Shifting the cost of environmental degradation from "the commons" to the offending producers is an admirable goal for both crops and livestock production but not without cost to them. The carrots and sticks required to effect this cost-shifting will not be cheap and will be passed up the food chain with enormous impact on grocery bills. Will be interesting to watch.
My fear as well. Cory Booker posted recently that the dollar meal at McDonald's is cheap, a salad up the street is expensive. The dollar meal which is bad for us is heavily subsidized but the healthy salad isn't. Another problem with our food system.
Thanks, Robert! I am admittedly, city girl ignorant, on farm policy and land management issues as they affect our desperate need for saving the planet. This piece was so helpful, both in my understanding, and also steps I can take to further my knowledge. I will share it. While the truth about farming and our care (lack of) for our land is frightening, I am so appreciative of your persistent voice.
Thanks very much for this piece! I'm sure that you're familiar with this story, Robert, but I really miss the "old" Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa Sate. Back before 2017, I got a lot of inspiration and information from their staff. However, your readers may want to check out this Wikipedia article to see what happened to them after 2017:
Very interesting read, lot of good points. I agree we have some big problems. I had to chuckle at the pic of the planter operating in a very minimal tilled field with a little dust. I wished those that don't know this is a great pic of today's soil saving practice of residue on the ground saving soil from erosion compared to 50 years ago when the soil was primary tilled, like a moldboard plow burying all previous crop residue, then tilled 2-3 times prior to planting like most organic farming today. Also the dust: #1) that was very little dust and it will land on the field.
#2) I can remember before min-till and no-tlll the dust in tilled fields was so bad the operator, me and my wife, would be totally black with dust while operating no cab tractors and breathing that dust all day long. If we didn't have access to the improvements in ag equipment to do no-till we might be doing it the old bad way.
The price cycles are nothing new, they have gone on for as long as I can remember in my over 50 yrs in production ag, The present time is nothing new. I won't take time to figure how many crop and livestock high to low, profitable to loss cycles that have happened over the yrs.
In regard to manufactures always making new, bigger, more technology on ag equipment. It's no different than car and truck manufacturers always making their product with more features to get market share from consumer. No different.
Thanks for your comments. I should have mentioned no till, and I could have gotten a better photo. I only used it because there were wide reports across the media that wind and topsoil loss were a problem that same day, with accidents in eastern Iowa because of blowing earth. I understand bigger with respect to car and truck technology and farming technology. I was making a broader point. Once Gov Reynolds told me that she had visited Brazil and there were combines twice as big as ours. She told me they were "bringing land under cultivation that had never been under cultivation before!" She was talking about the Amazon.
Learned last eve from a man that recently got back from custom harvesting run clear into Montana. SB production has expanded clear on west from Dakotas to half way across Montana. This is big news. Mgmt, technology and SB variety's make this possible.
Cat, JD and others have sold lots of land clearing and AG production equipment down there for a long time. And European countries sell lots of equipment there also.
Yes it happens and not all producers practice no-till, quite often smaller operations and maybe more often, as well as well as larger. Even in undisturbed previous yrs SB fields having been no-tilled I've seen some pretty bad dust.
At the same time, "Thank a Farmer" billboards have appeared in our county. My first thought is, "Thanks for poisoned water." "Thanks for cancer." "Thanks for loss of farmers who can't afford to invest millions of dollars when corn is less than what it was when I was a kid." (I remember how excited the local Women's Farm Bureau members were when corn hit $4.00.) Concurrently, a friend in Vermont wants me to help one of his events, Farmer Gratitude Summit, https://www.thankfarmers.org/, to go national. Two ends of the same rainbow. Has there ever been a group more manipulated than the guys with their pull-behind combines? Perfect segue: Thanks, John Deere for unimaginable debt and unemployment. What I meant to say is YES, it will take all of us to help return farming to stewardship rather than exploitation of the land. So, thank you!
By the 80's there were very few pull combines that I knew of. By then there were the self propelled combines from machinery manufacturers with 14-16' platforms for SB and small grains compared to the old 5' pull. The same combine could be used with 4 or six row corn head. Ear corn pickers were going to the wayside except maybe for ear corn to grind for cattle finishing. The ear corn picker left too much field loss and slow. By then here in hog country there was less and less running sows in field to glean the fields. And as pieces of ground operated by farmers away from home place gleaning by sows and cows didn't happen. Can't blame bankers, first there job is to loan money to qualified customers to make money for the depositors whether it's for a house, a car, a combine for the business. Yes bigger was the go word. My cost of family living, health ins, fire and liability ins, machinery for production all rising. So expansion had made sense to better utilize equipment and spread cost across more acres resulting in lower cost/unit of production. No different than today's business atmosphere, for any business.
I understand and I love nostalgia but I also recognize reality and the why. Sometimes we make comments that are clouded but others that do not know the reality are often misguided.
Great piece Bob. A lot of multi-level structural factors of our social, political, and economic systems shaping this, as well as parallel issues in energy production and the AEC industry, that need changing. That includes decision-making driven by overly narrow definitions of value a the focus on short term shareholder profit margins. Our economic system is an artificial construct that can be modified.
Love the short branding messages. We could frame so many different issues like this, from gun control and public education to fossil fuel carbon/pollution emissions and regenerative/healthy buildings.
This quote jumped out at me: "To be sure there are individuals and groups who have been advocating for our environment, social justice, and public health for years, but their voices have been largely drowned out by corporate marketing, complicit governments, and an ag media that is often compromised, depending on corporate advertising to survive." It made me think of all the industrial ag and fossil fuel commercials I hear listening to streaming K-State sports broadcasts and on the radio. So much of it is spin, leaving out information, and some lies.
Appreciated the shout out to former Kansas governor John Carlin.
Should be a lot of powerful info aimed at changing the industrial model of agriculture that is destroying our communities, health, and environment! This former farm kid still has some hope!
This sounds like an excellent conference bringing together how varies aspects determine how well we as individuals are going to continue to live on this planet. It is unfortunate that many of our current Iowa legislators are both ignorant and/or heavily involved in promoting their own interests rather than being concerned about what is best to maintain a viable planet.
Robert. Thanks for this excellent overview. After living away for 40 years I moved back to Johnson County in 2020 to be near family. My observations of the shifts in the physical, economy, and political landscape of my “home” state was a shock. While, your article brings science and reason to my observations, you have not addressed the human dynamic that has also taken hold: the erosion of freedom; the loss of reflective thought; and the celebration of diversity necessary for a thriving human and more than human community. While industrial farming has been ravaging the land, the corporate mentality has also been ravaging the soul of Iowans. I returned to be near family, but have been cast out because of my capacity for critical thought and reflection and the need to ask my old friends and family “why?” and “how?”. Instead of rich dialogue, I encounter silence, anger, and rejection. We will not make the needed changes without open minds and open hearts. These are the deeper needs behind the public health, education and economic crisis facing Iowa. Where are the state leaders and voices leaning in to these conversations and willing to take a risk for a healthier and just future vs. recreating a past that is no longer viable? Those are the true Iowans…the pioneers who are willing to take risks for a better future.
Wow. So powerful. So true. I often write about some of these issues, but I have no answers. I'll keep thinking about it. If you wanted to write about it, I could post it as a guest essay, but I bet a larger media outlet would want it. thanks!
I may need some coaching…but would love to give it a try!
You already sketched it out. Just expand a little at the sources of your troubles and any solutions you might see. Many of us feel the same way you do and your thoughts and advice might be helpful. Give it a whirl!
The efficiency of modern American agriculture is stunning and cascades throughout our economy, even enabling one of our major export successes. Shifting the cost of environmental degradation from "the commons" to the offending producers is an admirable goal for both crops and livestock production but not without cost to them. The carrots and sticks required to effect this cost-shifting will not be cheap and will be passed up the food chain with enormous impact on grocery bills. Will be interesting to watch.
My fear as well. Cory Booker posted recently that the dollar meal at McDonald's is cheap, a salad up the street is expensive. The dollar meal which is bad for us is heavily subsidized but the healthy salad isn't. Another problem with our food system.
Thanks, Robert! I am admittedly, city girl ignorant, on farm policy and land management issues as they affect our desperate need for saving the planet. This piece was so helpful, both in my understanding, and also steps I can take to further my knowledge. I will share it. While the truth about farming and our care (lack of) for our land is frightening, I am so appreciative of your persistent voice.
Thanks very much for this piece! I'm sure that you're familiar with this story, Robert, but I really miss the "old" Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa Sate. Back before 2017, I got a lot of inspiration and information from their staff. However, your readers may want to check out this Wikipedia article to see what happened to them after 2017:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Center_for_Sustainable_Agriculture
Thanks George. Yes, i was familiar with the story, but reading the refresher at Wikipedia was good for me to do. Sad story...
Very interesting read, lot of good points. I agree we have some big problems. I had to chuckle at the pic of the planter operating in a very minimal tilled field with a little dust. I wished those that don't know this is a great pic of today's soil saving practice of residue on the ground saving soil from erosion compared to 50 years ago when the soil was primary tilled, like a moldboard plow burying all previous crop residue, then tilled 2-3 times prior to planting like most organic farming today. Also the dust: #1) that was very little dust and it will land on the field.
#2) I can remember before min-till and no-tlll the dust in tilled fields was so bad the operator, me and my wife, would be totally black with dust while operating no cab tractors and breathing that dust all day long. If we didn't have access to the improvements in ag equipment to do no-till we might be doing it the old bad way.
The price cycles are nothing new, they have gone on for as long as I can remember in my over 50 yrs in production ag, The present time is nothing new. I won't take time to figure how many crop and livestock high to low, profitable to loss cycles that have happened over the yrs.
In regard to manufactures always making new, bigger, more technology on ag equipment. It's no different than car and truck manufacturers always making their product with more features to get market share from consumer. No different.
Thanks for your comments. I should have mentioned no till, and I could have gotten a better photo. I only used it because there were wide reports across the media that wind and topsoil loss were a problem that same day, with accidents in eastern Iowa because of blowing earth. I understand bigger with respect to car and truck technology and farming technology. I was making a broader point. Once Gov Reynolds told me that she had visited Brazil and there were combines twice as big as ours. She told me they were "bringing land under cultivation that had never been under cultivation before!" She was talking about the Amazon.
Learned last eve from a man that recently got back from custom harvesting run clear into Montana. SB production has expanded clear on west from Dakotas to half way across Montana. This is big news. Mgmt, technology and SB variety's make this possible.
Cat, JD and others have sold lots of land clearing and AG production equipment down there for a long time. And European countries sell lots of equipment there also.
Yes it happens and not all producers practice no-till, quite often smaller operations and maybe more often, as well as well as larger. Even in undisturbed previous yrs SB fields having been no-tilled I've seen some pretty bad dust.
At the same time, "Thank a Farmer" billboards have appeared in our county. My first thought is, "Thanks for poisoned water." "Thanks for cancer." "Thanks for loss of farmers who can't afford to invest millions of dollars when corn is less than what it was when I was a kid." (I remember how excited the local Women's Farm Bureau members were when corn hit $4.00.) Concurrently, a friend in Vermont wants me to help one of his events, Farmer Gratitude Summit, https://www.thankfarmers.org/, to go national. Two ends of the same rainbow. Has there ever been a group more manipulated than the guys with their pull-behind combines? Perfect segue: Thanks, John Deere for unimaginable debt and unemployment. What I meant to say is YES, it will take all of us to help return farming to stewardship rather than exploitation of the land. So, thank you!
Please share how guys with their pull behind combines have been manipulated. Thank you.
By bankers, to get bigger---I'm thinking of the 80's.
By the 80's there were very few pull combines that I knew of. By then there were the self propelled combines from machinery manufacturers with 14-16' platforms for SB and small grains compared to the old 5' pull. The same combine could be used with 4 or six row corn head. Ear corn pickers were going to the wayside except maybe for ear corn to grind for cattle finishing. The ear corn picker left too much field loss and slow. By then here in hog country there was less and less running sows in field to glean the fields. And as pieces of ground operated by farmers away from home place gleaning by sows and cows didn't happen. Can't blame bankers, first there job is to loan money to qualified customers to make money for the depositors whether it's for a house, a car, a combine for the business. Yes bigger was the go word. My cost of family living, health ins, fire and liability ins, machinery for production all rising. So expansion had made sense to better utilize equipment and spread cost across more acres resulting in lower cost/unit of production. No different than today's business atmosphere, for any business.
Thanks for clarifying. My point of view is heavily colored by nostalgia.
I understand and I love nostalgia but I also recognize reality and the why. Sometimes we make comments that are clouded but others that do not know the reality are often misguided.
You are absolutely right. I'll be more careful in the future.
Those pulled by horses?
anyone who wants to can use horses to do ag work. Though need day job to support the choice.
Great piece Bob. A lot of multi-level structural factors of our social, political, and economic systems shaping this, as well as parallel issues in energy production and the AEC industry, that need changing. That includes decision-making driven by overly narrow definitions of value a the focus on short term shareholder profit margins. Our economic system is an artificial construct that can be modified.
Love the short branding messages. We could frame so many different issues like this, from gun control and public education to fossil fuel carbon/pollution emissions and regenerative/healthy buildings.
This quote jumped out at me: "To be sure there are individuals and groups who have been advocating for our environment, social justice, and public health for years, but their voices have been largely drowned out by corporate marketing, complicit governments, and an ag media that is often compromised, depending on corporate advertising to survive." It made me think of all the industrial ag and fossil fuel commercials I hear listening to streaming K-State sports broadcasts and on the radio. So much of it is spin, leaving out information, and some lies.
Appreciated the shout out to former Kansas governor John Carlin.
Thanks Marcel!
Should be a lot of powerful info aimed at changing the industrial model of agriculture that is destroying our communities, health, and environment! This former farm kid still has some hope!
This sounds like an excellent conference bringing together how varies aspects determine how well we as individuals are going to continue to live on this planet. It is unfortunate that many of our current Iowa legislators are both ignorant and/or heavily involved in promoting their own interests rather than being concerned about what is best to maintain a viable planet.
Personal interest for a majority of fed legislators is also the same.
So glad you posted this information, Bob!