INVESTING CHECKOFF DOLLARS
BY LAUREN HOUSKA
BRIAN WADDINGHAM
A HELPING HAND
THE COALITION TO SUPPORT IOWA’S FARMERS CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF SERVING IOWA FARM FAMILIES
B
eing proactive means being reactive — ahead of time. That’s why farmers from Iowa’s agriculture commodity groups joined 15 years ago to create the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers (CSIF).
The idea “In the early 2000s, the industry saw immense changes, and there was real concern that modern Iowa agriculture was under significant attack,” Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) CEO Kirk Leeds says. As founding chairman, Leeds has served on the CSIF board of directors since the organization’s inception. “When farmers sought to expand
24 | C E L E B RAT I NG 5 5 YEAR S
BY LAUREN HOUSKA
their livestock operations, they saw substantial division and pushback not just near urban or suburban areas, but in rural farming communities, as well,” he recalls. Misinformation spread by extreme activist groups took a toll on Iowa’s livestock industry. As livestock farmers hurt, Iowa soybean farmers felt the pain, too. “As we like to say at ISA, our customers are real pigs,” Leeds says. “Livestock production has a significant impact on the continued profitability of Iowa soybean growers.” Funded by ISA, third-party research revealed that Iowans’ attitudes about agriculture in the state were less than
supportive. This solidified the desire of the commodity organizations to form CSIF in 2004 to actively combat misinformation.
The mission As a confidential, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, CSIF helps farmers navigate livestock facility siting, complex rules and regulations, and neighbor and community relations. The organization has provided support to more than 4,500 Iowa farmers — at no cost. “One of the first questions farmers ask us is: ‘How are you funded?’” says Brian Waddingham, executive director for CSIF. “We’re proud to tell them their checkoff dollars or membership
