The Iowa "Three Sisters:" Corn, Soybeans, and Hogs

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Oct 11, 2009 at 09:14:21 AM PDT

Welcome to Iowa

If you'd rather watch instead of read, you can view this video of George Naylor describing why GMOs and corporate giants win (thanks to Andrew Kang Bartlett for shooting and sharing the video).

Iowa

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Oct 08, 2009 at 11:59:32 AM PDT

The occasion for the trip is the 2009 Community Food Security Coalition conference, Oct 11-13. It's going to be a fantastic few days, including an address by Tom Vilsack. And it will be held back to back with the 2009 World Food Prize Symposium and Borlaug Dialogue, Oct 14-16. A few of the events from the World Food Prize event will overlap with the CFSC event, including:

Monday, October 12

5:45 p.m.
What Will the World Eat? U.S. Impact on Global Food Security
A reception with lecture and discussion featuring 1995 World Food Prize Laureate Hans Herren
Polk County Convention Center, Room 2004
More information available here, or by contacting Angie Tagtow at angie.tagtow at mac.com or 515-367-5200

8:00 pm
Norman Borlaug Lecture: 2009 World Food Prize Laureate Gebisa Ejeta (more info)
Memorial Union, Iowa State University

Tuesday, October 13

All Day
Third Annual Iowa Hunger Summit (more info)
Downtown Des Moines Marriott Hotel

8:00 a.m.
Borlaug Dialogue Side Event: USAID Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
"Higher Education: A Critical Partner in Global Agricultural Development"
Des Moines Marriott - Salons A and B

I look forward to posting more about these events as they unfold in the next few days. Now, if you'd like to join me in belting out Dar Williams' "Iowa," I've posted the lyrics below.

Republican attacks Thicke as "ultra radical"

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Sep 11, 2009 at 02:28:25 AM PDT

Thicke also stated some facts that are rarely acknowledged in Iowa:

"I think that one of the fundamental problems that is being overlooked is that these markets are no longer competitive markets," he said. "Economists tell us that if more than 40 percent of a market is controlled by four or fewer firms that it begins to act like a monopoly rather than a free market. And, in hog markets, about 65 percent is controlled by four firms. In beef it is about 85 percent that is controlled by four firms. In dairy, one corporation processor controls about 40 percent of all the milk processing. The interesting thing is that while dairy farmers are at record loss levels, that corporation, during the last two quarters, has had record profits."

"Some real trust breaking - like Teddy Roosevelt style trust busting" needs to be done, according to Thicke, in order for the agricultural markets to realign.

A huge number of Iowans will welcome Thicke's perspective, but Republican Party of Iowa Executive Director Jeff Boeyink called Thicke an "ultra radical":

"Agriculture is serious business in Iowa, and now is not the time to experiment with the backbone of Iowa's economy," Boeyink said. [...]

Gov. Chet Culver, a fellow Democrat, did not reappoint Thicke to the commissions, prompting Boeyink to say if Thicke was "so far out of the mainstream for even liberal Governor Culver to stomach, then he is certainly too liberal to be entrusted with leading our state's agricultural community."

Incidentally, Culver's decision not to reappoint Thicke to the Environmental Protection Commission had nothing to do with "mainstream" opinion; it was an embarrassing cave to agribusiness.

Thicke responded to Boeyink's name-calling here. Excerpt:

[M]y campaign focuses on increasing the economic and environmental sustainability of Iowa's family farms. Advocating for conserving our soil, water quality, family farms, and rural communities is not radical. To me that fits the definition of a true conservative.

No kidding. Boeyink's probably desperate to change the subject from the September 1 special election in Iowa House district 90, in which Republicans fell short after going all-in with a highly negative campaign.

Thanks to Jill for adding Thicke to the La Vida Locavore ActBlue page.

Francis Thicke to announce bid for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 12:35:29 PM PDT

Thicke's campaign website outlines his "new vision for Iowa agriculture," which involves more local food production, on-farm energy production, and "animal production systems that are profitable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible."

You can see from his bio how qualified he is for the position as an organic dairy farmer, educator and public servant.

There's also a blog on the campaign website; recent posts include this endorsement from Denise O'Brien, founder of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network and Democratic nominee for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in 2006.

Thicke will be an underdog against incumbent Bill Northey, who after considering a bid for governor announced this summer that he'll run for re-election instead. Industrial agriculture interests generously funded Northey's 2006 campaign and will fight hard against Thicke. If you can afford to contribute to Thicke's campaign, his ActBlue page is here.

In case anyone's wondering, the name is pronounced "Tic-kee."

No more bailouts for factory farms

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Aug 10, 2009 at 18:06:09 PM PDT

In contrast, if your factory farm contributes to excess production of pork, high-level elected officials will ask the federal government to bail you out. I learned from Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement today that last week nine governors, including Iowa's Chet Culver,

requested $50 million of taxpayer money from the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) to buy over-produced pork off the market.  This follows similar requests made by the National Pork Producers Council in early May and Iowa Secretary of Ag Bill Northey in June.

The hog factory industry, though, has received two recent taxpayer-funded bailouts from USDA -- one for $25 million in March 2009 and the other for $50 million in April 2008 -- to buy over-produced pork off the market. [...]

Ag economists have warned for months that the pork industry must stabilize prices by trimming the fat and reducing the herd size.  But the pork industry has ignored basic economic rules and continues to increase supply as demand goes down.  This is the result of continuous government subsidies and bailouts to the factory farm industry.

"Corporate ag receives government subsidies and guaranteed loans that promote the expansion of factory farms on the front end," said CCI member Lori Nelson of Bayard.  "And then, when they produce too much pork, they ask the government -- that's us -- to bail them out with huge amounts of taxpayer dollars. The factory farm industry is a house of cards that would crumble as soon as you take away taxpayers propping them up."

The governors of Nebraska, Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Illinois and Oklahoma joined Culver in signing the appeal for federal aid. According to DTN/The Progressive Farmer, "Representatives from the Iowa and the National Pork Producers Councils, Tyson Fresh Foods, Hormel Foods and Paragon Economics support the letter's three proposals for aid."

I've posted the full text of Iowa CCI's press release after the jump. There's no reason to exempt corporate agriculture from basic laws of supply and demand. Taxpayers already pay too much to subsidize factory hog farms, not to mention the hidden environmental costs of air and water pollution.

ACTION: Help preserve public input on Iowa CAFOs

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 12:14:58 PM PDT

The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) is considering new rules that would limit public input during the permit approval process for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Iowa. Up to now, members of the public have been able to speak before the EPC concerning proposed new CAFOs. Under the new rules, only representatives of the entity applying for the permit, the county board of supervisors, and the Department of Natural Resources would be able to speak at EPC hearings on CAFO permits. People and entities that might be affected by downstream or downwind pollution from the proposed CAFO would not be allowed to speak at such hearings.

The public can submit comments on the new rule through this Thursday, August 6.

After the jump I've posted action alerts sent out by 1000 Friends of Iowa and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. They contain some talking points for public comments and contact information for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa CCI also mentions two points worth preserving in the new rule, which industrial agriculture interests are apparently trying to have removed.

Comments must be received by Thursday, so if you are using the regular mail, please send your letter as soon as possible. There are also three DNR public hearings this week in Spencer, Des Moines and Ainsworth (details below).

I've also posted two pieces containing further background information after the jump. These may help you prepare comments to submit to the DNR. Shearon Elderkin discusses a controversial EPC decision last summer, which prompted the rewriting of the rules on the CAFO permit application process. Elderkin served on the EPC from August 2008 through April 2009. She had to step down when Iowa Senate Republicans blocked her confirmation for the position.

The final document you can find below is by Cedar Rapids attorney David Elderkin, Shearon's husband. He covers the legal issues at hand in more detail.

Please take a few minutes to submit a public comment on this issue by Thursday, August 6. Please forward to any friends or relatives in Iowa who might be willing to comment as well.

Give me a break

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Jul 08, 2009 at 09:13:18 AM PDT

But the parent company of Henry's Turkey Service sees things differently:

An attorney for Hill Country Farms said in a written response that the company "is organized, operated and controlled according to the laws and regulations of the State of Texas" and is not subject to the Iowa laws it's accused of violating.

The company maintains that all of the Iowa workers who lived for decades in a bunkhouse in Atalissa, near the West Liberty plant, were technically residents of Texas and that their real employer was West Liberty Foods, not Hill Country Farms.

State and corporate records support some elements of that argument but undercut other aspects of the company's case.

For example, some of the Atalissa men were enrolled in Texas Medicaid - a program that in theory is open only to residents of Texas. But the W-2 tax forms in which the men's wages were reported to the Internal Revenue Service indicate that Hill Country Farms, not West Liberty Foods, was the employer.

Kauffman writes that "it could be a year" before an administrative law judge rules on this case. I'm not an attorney, but I would hope Hill Country Farms is not able to get away with claiming men in Atalissa, Iowa, as Texas residents.

Click here for the archive of Des Moines Register reports on the outrageous treatment of Henry's Turkey Service workers.

New limits on winter manure application take effect in Iowa

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 11:35:56 AM PDT

You'll be pleased to know that amendments greatly improved Senate File 432 before the final version passed the Iowa House in April. Governor Chet Culver then signed the bill into law, and it takes effect today along with a bunch of other measures approved during the 2009 Iowa legislative session.

On principle I dislike legislative efforts to interfere with DNR rulemaking. However, knowledgeable people tell me that the new law includes tougher restrictions on liquid manure application than the rules that the DNR would have eventually produced. So, this law is on balance good news for water quality in Iowa and downstream from us.

It's important to note that these restrictions apply only to liquid manure, which comes from hogs. Iowa's cattle farmers face no new limits on spreading solid manure over frozen or snow-covered ground. I've been told that cattle farmers turned out in large numbers for the DNR's public hearings on the winter application rules.

Policy wonks can find the full text of Iowa Senate File 432 and bill history here.

Iowa legislators not sold on junk food rules for schools

by: desmoinesdem

Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 07:18:20 AM PDT

A special task force drew up the standards, which set limits on calories, fat content, sugar and other nutritional measures. Carbonated beverages are banned. Caffeinated beverages and sports drinks are banned in elementary schools.

But the rules do not apply to food provided by school lunch or breakfast programs, items sold at concession stands or certain fundraisers or items provided by parents, teachers or others for class events.

Although I would have preferred tougher guidelines, these rules were a step in the right direction. To be more precise, they would have been a step in the right direction. After protests from some school officials, the State Board of Eduation "delayed most of the standards from going into effect until the 2010-11 school year."

By that time, the regulations may have been relaxed, judging from what happened last week in the Iowa Legislature's Administrative Rules Review Committee (unofficial motto: "Where good rules go to die"). The rest of the story is after the jump.

You think your food challenge is ambitious?

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 19:10:08 PM PDT

As you can see from his journal (scroll down for the most recent updates), he's eating well and feeling great despite the "sad moment" when he used up the last bit of blue corn flour for pancakes. His best meal so far consisted of

a large baked potato (with homemade butter), and snow peas, asparagus, sliced carrots, and tomatoes sauteed in soy oil and local Thyme.  Folks, it does not get any better than this!

I'm not making any special food resolutions this summer, other than to eat as much seasonal local food as possible. Keep your fingers crossed for dry weather this Sunday, so I can take the kids out to another "sample Sunday" at three of my favorite farms in central Iowa.

Iowa Ag Sec Candidate Speaks Out About Dairy

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 21:38:08 PM PDT

I plan to follow Thicke's campaign, and I also hope he'll share a bit more about his farm with us. But right now, the topic at hand is the dairy crisis. I've said it many times that my dairy friends tell me they are in the worst crisis since the Great Depression. Dairy farmers have staged many protests and the USDA has been unresponsive - at least, they haven't done anything that will make a true difference for struggling dairy farmers. The USDA has done two things so far - purchasing more milk for domestic nutrition programs, and sending more milk overseas. But the problem isn't one of supply and demand. Due to unfair price manipulation, the "invisible hand" is all but absent. Thicke's statement from a recent protest is below.

USDA Uses Conservation Funds Inefficiently (And Congress Underfunds Conservation)

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 10:00:00 AM PDT

So why isn't the government doing more about it? First, because Congress chronically underfunds our conservation programs (and continues to do so under Democratic leadership). Second, because the USDA doesn't target conservation funding at the areas most responsible for the pollution. I believe it was only recently that the Dept of Interior analyzed which areas are most responsible for the dead zone, but still - you'd think this would be a no-brainer! Why can't we use this money (what little Congress bothers to appropriate, anyway) where it will do the most good?

I hope this is just the beginning

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 18:47:46 PM PDT

Since various agencies are conducting other investigations into the company's treatment of its workers, I expect this fine will be the first of many levied against Henry's Turkey Service. However, an attorney for the parent company of Henry's Turkey Service told the Des Moines Register that the company will challenge Iowa Workforce Development's proposal. It will be some time before any fines are paid.

Click here for the archive of Des Moines Register reports on this appalling story.

Sustainable food as economic engine

by: desmoinesdem

Tue May 26, 2009 at 11:41:44 AM PDT

I liked how Murphy made the economic case for changing agriculture policies in yesterday's Des Moines Register article. Health and environmental concerns sparked my interest in buying local food produced sustainably, but Murphy is wise to connect the dots between agriculture policies and the economic future of rural areas. For more along those lines, read the feature on Murphy and Food Democracy Now from the Washington Post in March.

Speaking of Iowans who are incredibly committed to helping small and medium-sized farms thrive, Woodbury County's rural economic development director Rob Marqusee has pledged to "eat only food grown within 100 miles of the Woodbury County Courthouse for the entire month of June 09 (and no meat will be allowed in the diet)." Keep an eye on Marqusee's Woodbury Organics site next month, because he'll be blogging about his food challenge.  

Sampler Platter 05.23.09

by: Jill Richardson

Sat May 23, 2009 at 15:42:28 PM PDT

• New York is trying to bring grocery stores to food deserts. Yay! If they find a successful method of doing this, let's hope other cities steal their ideas.

• Interested in what Americans ate during the first Great Depression? Apparently beavers and squirrels were on the menu (hat tip to GastroNomalies)

• Vilsack plays dumb. Swine flu? Never heard of it. He only knows about the H1N1 flu. Riiight.

• Meanwhile, while the swine flu story is over for most of us, it's not over at the implicated Mexican Smithfield operation, which is still very invested in proving its innocence. Especially because its being sued.

• Why a school farm? The Atlantic has some ideas.

• Ever tried Mongolian cuisine? Most of us have probably never even thought about it. I had the opportunity to try some - once - and oh my god, I turned that opportunity down. When I lived in China I had 2 friends from Inner Mongolia. After a trip home, they returned to Beijing with a "treat" for me - some "Mongolian dairy snacks" as they put it. And that was NOT something I was interested in eating. The "snacks" were approximately the size and shape of Cheetos but they were white and looked moist. And there was no freaking way I was putting them in my mouth. I ate dog and testicles in China, but I had to draw the line somewhere. My friends wanted to see me taste them but I awkwardly explained that I wanted to share them with other Americans so I'd taste them later. Fortunately, the food described in this article sounds a bit more appetizing.

• BlogHer is having a foodie conference.

• Yay to the Center for Food Safety, who says that reliance on biotech in a food aid bill is a step in the wrong direction.

• IATP cleverly writes about "seeing the forest through the corn." With a title like that, you KNOW they are talking about Iowa - and a forest in Iowa that is home to many endangered and threatened species.

• In Israel, owls are replacing chemicals to do the job of pest control. Very cool!