DEAR GOVERNOR REYNOLDS

...A Letter from Iowan Josiah C. Wearin

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Josiah C. Wearin

HASTINGS, IA -

Dear Governor Reynolds: Here is how you can transform your political future and create a new vision for Iowa.

The Republican caucuses are upon us. You have a pulpit. The nation will be tuned in for a few days. Stop preaching to your base about the cultural issues that your party is so crazy about. Instead, take this opportunity to raise up the health, quality, and conservation of our soil and water and wildlife that a broad range of Iowa cares about.

Iowa’s rivers and streams are carrying far too much nitrogen and phosphorus from the fields on downstream and into the Gulf of Mexico, creating hypoxic zones of record size. Our emphasis on cash crops has resulted in a drastic diminution in biodiversity. The concentration of livestock in specialized feeding units has increased drastically. Too much of our groundwater is polluted. Meanwhile, our rural communities and farms themselves suffer from de-population.

We have evolved, especially in the last 50 years, into a system centered on two crops and concentrated livestock operations. As a result, all Iowans are stuck in a cycle that is extremely difficult to alter.

And you are not giving Iowans much credit for realizing what a mess we are in.

Your administration keeps telling us that progress is being made. But its concept of progress is skewed toward slow-motion, minimal funding, and criticism of the government. It is past time to cut out the false PR and actually fund practical solutions that our grandchildren will benefit from.

You are in a perfect position to take a proactive rather than reactive role. And you can take a middle road in doing so.

Here is a start:

• Reignite the Iowa State University Nutrient Reduction Strategy with more metrics and definite goals.

• Encourage all farmers to reduce their crop nutrient applications to the levels suggested by that Strategy. Instituting mandates seems highly unlikely and overly bureaucratic. Hence you should expand cost-sharing voluntarily. Specifically, push hard for State incentives to producers at the level of $30 per acre for proven implementation of cover crops and long-term forage rotations.

• Encourage fully funded research on perennial crops.

• Advocate for research funding on replacing the current cesspool/lagoon system of livestock sewage management.

• Encourage research using cellulosic crops and animal wastes to create biogas and biofuels.

• Encourage research into the genetic alteration of crops to allow them to fix nitrogen naturally.

• Encourage wetlands and tree-planting and wildlife habitat across a broad scale.

• Discourage all fall tillage and fall fertilization.

• Discourage all land application of manures on frozen ground.

• Discourage the use of frequently flooded lands for row crop agriculture.

• Encourage more young farmers through tax credits, educational grants, and other means.

Yes, you can address Iowans directly on these issues. These are actually moderate positions, believe it or not.

With these steps, you will have created a whole new legacy for “Governor Reynolds,” one which will be remembered as positive and uplifting for our State.

Josiah C. Wearin Hastings, Iowa

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Letters From Iowans is a part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. We encourage you, our subscribers, to share your perspective in this column. To make your voice heard, use this form to send us your essay:

Letters From Iowans FORM

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