Farmers across Iowa are bracing for another year of intense drift, thanks to an increase in use of the herbicide dicamba and other volatile chemicals across the state. For many Iowa farmers — especially vegetable, non-GMO, and organic producers — a single incident of pesticides drifting onto their farm can result in the loss of income for an entire year.
Farmers vs. environmentalists. It’s a common narrative that rears its head again and again in news, opinion and analysis, most recently in this piece by Dan Charles for National Public Radio (NPR). The title reads, "Farmers Fight Environmental Regulations." The imposed conflict is right there in the title.
In early February, a mighty group of Iowa farmers congregated at the Iowa state capitol to participate in the Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) annual Food and Farm Lobby Day. A carload of my farmer friends and I were thrilled to have the chance to speak with our legislators about the obstacles that beginning farmers so often face in our current system of agriculture.
