“Don’t expect Iowa farmers to ‘feed the world’,” reads the headline of a recent editorial in The Des Moines Register.

You can bet that headline both sickened me and spurred action. Below is a copy of the response I sent yesterday to the Register…

I’m saddened by the timing of the negative editorial because we are in the middle of World Food Prize week, a time when the world turns its eyes to Iowa to salute those who dedicate their lives to discovering innovations that feed people in need. But, I’m not surprised by the Register editorial since its editorial staff seems to be spending too much time with “scary clowns.”

Scary clowns spread fear. Fear must sell a lot of newspapers. Scary clowns aren’t just an internet phenomenon, now showing up in our communities. Fear is also a weapon, a tactic that is passed around, printed and repeated, spreading faster than palmer amaranth seeds  in a fertile farm field.

The Environmental Working Group has been trying to scare us all for quite some time, and the Register editors are all too happy to spread their fearful messages without question or any attempt to gain another perspective. Iowa farmers hope common sense Iowans can unmask the hype.

My perspective is based on experience; I’ve been farming since 1973. I know innovation in farming not only helps us grow more food, it helps us do more with less: less pesticides, less tillage and turning of the soil, less erosion, less runoff of manure. I have had farmers and visitors from around the world including China, and Japan come to my farm to learn how we do it. The Des Moines Editorial chief went to China and marveled at the technology, yet his team leads the charge against the very same innovative livestock barns being built here! Why? Perhaps he and his staff are too young to remember what it was really like “back in the day.”

Back in the 70’s, the ditches were full of black snow each winter because we had to turn the soils to kill the weeds and used a lot more chemicals to grow a crop. Back in the 70’s, more livestock was raised on feedlots than modern livestock barns, so manure washed off during a heavy rainstorm. Where did it go? It went into the watersheds, but the state wasn’t monitoring it then like it does now.

Slowly, it’s turning around. Innovation in livestock farming, seeds, equipment and knowledge learned from the Nutrient Reduction Strategy is making a difference. I see it myself; in the time I have been farming, the drainage creek that runs through my land is so clear that you can’t see the water. You only see the stream bed. The waterways and buffer strips have done a great job on my farm, but all farms are different. Cover crops and other technologies in the last five years are making a huge difference!

Are all watersheds like that stream by my farm? No, and that’s why better monitoring and lowered thresholds show new places for us all to begin. I accept the challenge of continuously trying new things to make water better for all, and I’m not alone in thinking that way.

Iowa farming is successful and that success draws the world to our farms during World Food Prize week and beyond! I happen to think we should be embracing our success, not romancing the past, or forcing us all to farm like it’s 1974 because that style of farming doesn’t suit consumer needs today. Trying to “force fit” the past on all farmers is about a scary as forcing us all to squeeze back into the bell-bottom jeans we wore in 1974 – now that’s a scary thought!

This past week has been filled with huge events! Widespread rainfall. Record flooding. Devastation and loss.

Rain events of 5 to 10 inches fell last week in southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa and west central Wisconsin. As a result, record flooding has monopolized the headlines in recent days. We watched the reports as folks in Butler County braced for flooding. Now we’re hearing that Cedar Rapids is bracing for the second biggest flood on record.

Just as some homeowners suffered as the enraged rivers ran through their property, many farmers have watched their entire year’s work literally wash away! Others watch helplessly as water continues to surround crops that are ready for harvest but impossible to reach. It will take years for families and communities to recover from the devastation.

As devastating as these losses are, the one thing that brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it is the loss of a friend’s 10-week old grandson. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is unimaginable to me. My heart just breaks for that entire family.

In our big world, devastating losses happen every day. We must each bear our burdens as tough as they are, and how we handle these situations determines who we are. Do we hide from the issues facing us today? Do we shut down our emotions after a loss? Do decide we’ve had enough and refuse to plant another crop? Life can be tough!

It helps to find the see the good deeds being done. The outpouring of support to nearby communities has been heartwarming as Iowans do what they do best – and that’s support one another in tough time. Yesterday football players from Osage, Riceville and West Fork lent a helping hand in the cleanup efforts in Greene.

Acts of kindness lift us up when we’re feeling down. Grace from strangers show us there’s hope where we couldn’t see it for ourselves. While reflecting upon this week’s events, this verse continued to come to mind: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Faith and prayer can give comfort and direction. I truly hope everyone can recover from the losses of the past week. Answers can be scarce, but we must continue in a forward direction.

Join me in looking for those answers. Let’s keep striving for solutions. While watching last night’s debate, I was reminded that this presidential election is not the total solution. We also must engage in local and state races. Let’s elect the best people our system will allow while keeping our priorities in order: God, family and work.