PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA, NE PERMIT NO. 36
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Volume IX, Issue 2
February 2015
Sharing stories Northey says producers need to celebrate Iowa’s agricultural heritage
by Gordon Wolf Iowa has a lot to be proud of when it comes to agriculture, Iowa Secretary of State Bill Northey said at the 20th annual Cherokee County Ag Show on Wednesday. “We have great agriculture in the state. Sometimes we take it for granted. Sometimes we just assume that after four weeks of no rain, everybody else has eight-foot-tall corn out there. We have wonderful production in Iowa. A great tradition of agriculture, as well. These events (the ag show) celebrate that,” he said. But Northey also pointed out that Iowa’s agriculture producers need to share their story with others, and not just those who live large cities in Iowa and other states, but also those who live in the producers’ communities. He also pointed out that agriculture has its challenges, some of which grab headlines. One such challenge is the 60-day notice of intent to sue issued by Des Moines Water Works to supervisors in Sac, Buena Vista and Calhoun counties regarding drainage districts. Des Moines Water Works says the drainage districts in those counties are discharging groundwater with nitrate levels as high as 39.2 milligrams per liter, which is four times the federally required Safe Drinking Regulatory limit of 10 milligrams per liter. Des Moines Water Works says the drainage districts should be considered point-source contributors to water and should have permits under the National
The Rice Family Farm located north of Ida Grove proclaims its Century Farm status on the barn. Photo by Gordon Wolf
Pollutant Discharge Elimination system (NPDES). “Agriculture is great in Iowa, but we have plenty of challenges. We need to make sure we tell our story at every opportunity we have,” said Northey. He continued that, at an event at which he spoke on Wednesday morning, the conversation was how producers should invite neighbors, individuals from town, members of their church congregation and others to get in the combine in the fall and talk about what’s taking place on farms. “Show them your cover crops. Let’s tell our story a little bit, not just to a relative in Des Moines, but it’s
important to folks in your own community,” Northey said. “That’s a public policy piece that we don’t want to come and clip us later simply because people don’t understand.” He continued that what is occurring on farms, with the technology, the sophistication of operations and the knowledge required to operate farms, is exciting for individuals to see. “We don’t have to teach them the difference between strip till and no till or about 28 percent anhydrous, but if we show them why we’re doing the things we do, how sophisticated we are, how this stuff all interacts, I think
we’ll have a chance to be able to still make our own decisions and hand that opportunity on to the next generation. “People have a sense of trust in many cases, but I think we see in some cases, others are trying to undermine that trust and that appreciation.” An example of how proud Iowa farmers are of their farming operations and farming history can be seen in the Century Farm Awards and Heritage Farm Awards presented each year at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Century Farm Awards are presented to those whose farm has been in the family for 100 years; the Heritage
Farm Award signifies 150 years of family ownership. The day that he helps hand out those awards is Northey’s favorite day at the Iowa State Fair. “We’ll go eight-plus hours of families coming across the stage, picking up an award for having a farm in a family for 100 years or 150 years. We gave out 344 Century Farm awards last year at the state fair, and 88 Heritage Farm awards. There’s a lot of hugging and crying, talking about grandpa, hugging the grandkids and talk about how some day they (the grandkids) will be back in 50 years to receive their own award,” said Northey.
Northey related an incident that occurred three years ago on the day the awards were handed out, when an individual who was setting up the stage in the tent for a rock concert in the evening wanted to talk to him about the Century Farm and Heritage Farm awards. Northey thought the man was going to complain that the awards ceremony took too long, but the individual said it was his first time in Iowa. He’d grown up in Philadelphia and moved to Houston and then to Los Angeles. The individual said watching the families go across the stage to receive their awards was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. “He went on for about 20 minutes, talking about the families, the multiple generations, the hugging, how someone would say their mom lived on the farm for 92 years and that everyone clapped,” said Northey. “And he got it all, and he knew nothing about farming. I’d say he would be the last person that gets this.” Northey said the individual wanted to go back home, get a video camera and return to interview the families on why their farms connect them to the past and the future and to their communities. “I have no idea whether he did that or he didn’t. But I think if some folks are telling him that farmers are ruining the world again, whether it’s water quality this time or dust next time, or they’re saying it’s because we don’t STORIES, Page 2A