Smoky Hollow

Fall Cookout Sept. 18

2010-08-17T22:58:00.000-05:00

Mark your calendars! Please join us at the bandstand on the Albia square, Saturday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. for the Monroe County Democrats' Fall Cookout!

We'll be cooking up burgers and hot dogs, and raising money for the Betty Stocker Memorial Scholarship fund. We have a list of fantastic candidates who'll be appearing, so this is your chance to meet them and hear about their ideas for our future.

Please contact me for more info!

Dien

Nice day

2010-03-28T17:35:00.000-05:00

Flying a kite
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular

Bernie

2010-03-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular

Experiment

2010-03-27T14:40:00.000-05:00

Wonder if this works. I'm trying to use the email posting function. It should then post to twitter and facebook as well.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular

Flu Shot

2009-10-16T16:37:00.000-05:00

Took Aidan to get his H1N1 flu shot today.Monroe County Public Health had a flu clinic, and there was a good-sized crowd of people there. Mostly babies and little kids getting the shot.

A second shipment of flu vaccine arrived while we were there, so I think there was plenty for everyone who was there to get it today.

Aidan did really well. He wasn't scared or anything. He got a little upset when he got the shot, but by the time we were out the door, he was fine. After we went and got an ice cream cone, he totally forgot about it.

Non-profit News

2009-10-01T21:53:00.000-05:00

I disagree with this article on Slate about non-profit news.

The piece discusses the rise of foundation-backed not-for-profit news organizations, warning that philanthropists will dictate the content of the news.

I spent more than a year writing for Iowa Independent, and it was a great experience. Probably one of the most enjoyable jobs I've ever had. Being paid to be a blogger is awesome, obviously. Add to that a once-in-a-lifetime Iowa Presidential Caucus free-for-all, and you have a journalist's dream job.

The downside was that they didn't pay well at all. But that's the only downside, really. It was awesome.

So I suppose I have as good a vantage point as anyone to comment on the Jack Schafer article on Slate, which has as its basic premise that the benefactors of non-profit news organizations are behind a curtain, pulling the strings of their writers. Here's the main point, citing somebody named Harry Browne of the Dublin Institute of Technology:

"both nonprofit news and commercial news often find themselves constrained by the hidden agendas of their masters. Just as commercially supported journalists often find themselves dispatched to investigate the owners' hobbyhorses, nonprofit newsers are frequently assigned to 'chase after the idiosyncratic whims of funders.'"

I can only speak for myself and my own experience with Iowa Independent, but I must say I was always really free to cover just about anything I chose and write however I wanted. I was assigned to cover agriculture and rural stuff, but that's a pretty normal beat. And you can still go to Iowa Independent and look up any of the stories I wrote.

There were, of course, several times when subjects were suggested to me from above as a possible story idea. Nothing out of the ordinary, though, and I always appreciated the help with ideas. Our story ideas were always bounced around in conference calls, but that's no different from any news organization's editorial meetings. And just like a newspaper, there were copy editors, too. But for the most part the copy editors only fixed mistakes and improved the language of my articles rather than the gist.

I was never told I had to write any story. Now we certainly had a progressive point-of-view as a news organization, and by the way, there's nothing wrong with that, either. There's nothing wrong with having a unique voice in journalism. Every news organization has one. It is what it is. And there's always plenty of room for more voices in the public discourse.

A newspaper or a radio station or a website or any news organization, whether it's a for-profit business or a foundation-funded non-profit, has a point-of-view. What's more important is whether it builds the trust of the public -- and that can only be accomplished by presenting the facts honestly and building a reputation of fairness. The age-old question still must be asked by the audience: Is this information trustworthy or not?

I say there's a need for lots of different forms of journalism in the world, and lots of different ways to fund it. As we move further forward into the Information Age, the old systems must evolve. More people are empowered every day to share in the free flow of info. That's a good thing, I think.

Thanks to the Fence Crew

2009-09-30T19:36:00.000-05:00

Todd, Josh, Big Guy, Mike...Many thanks! Here's a photo:

Community

2009-09-24T21:02:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd give that new show Community a chance. It looked promising. But unfortunately it's not that great.

From CDC: Symptons of the Flus

2009-09-24T17:11:00.001-05:00

How do I know if I have the flu? Learn the symptoms of H1N1 and Seasonal Flu: http://bit.ly/fde6G Please RT

A Few Bullet Points

2009-09-10T21:53:00.004-05:00

A few bullet points I would like to share regarding the last week, in no particular order:

The Obama health care speech was the best hour of TV I have seen in months.
It's really expensive to replace shingles on a house, but we're very happy with our new roof.
I'm not totally sold on Twitter yet. It's hard for me to find the time to keep up with it.
So Republicans don't think kids should be told to work hard and stay in school. WTF?
I generally prefer AE dairy, but Yoplait sure makes a fine line of yogurt products.
Republicans should knock off the nasty. Just a thought, maybe it would improve their self esteem if they turned those frowns upside down.
Wow. South Carolina is a really wacky place, politically.
That Glenn Beck dude is totally creeping me out. Is he for real?
I am not looking forward to having two of my teeth pulled in November.
The Obama health care speech is even better on the second viewing.

Okay I'm back

2009-08-26T19:42:00.002-05:00

Going to start posting random thoughts on here again. And I mean random. I don't write professionally anymore so I'll just post stuff whenever I find the time and motivation. I finally took the time to figure out how to connect my blog posts to Twitter and Facebook. Should work pretty well.

Here are some thoughts for today:

Senator Ted Kennedy's passing is a sad but inspiring moment. He was the ultimate senator...a man who accomplished so much and made better the lives of millions of people. So many positive things we just take for granted in America today can be directly attributed to him.

---

Our dog Ariel hurt her leg on Sunday. She was playing out in the yard with Steva and Aidan when she just stopped in her tracks and fell on the ground yelping. Steva took her to the vet and the diagnosis is unsure at the moment, but it's possible that she's torn a ligament in her leg. She's got some painkiller pills and she's supposed to basically sit still for about two weeks. If she hasn't improved by then, she may need some kind of surgery. Poor puppy.

--

Aidan and I had a fun afternoon today. We stopped in Albia for Mom's Travel Iowa stop. It was fun to take Aidan along and see Mom and my grandparents. Here's a link to the post on the Travel Iowa blog.
There should be some photos of us on there soon.

Testing 123

2009-08-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

Check Check Is this thing on?

Experiment

2009-07-21T19:13:00.002-05:00

This is an experiment

Smoky Hollow blog has obviously been neglected for quite some time. After changing jobs and having less time for this kind of thing, I've basically just done Facebook for a while.

But there's a lot of stuff on Smoky Hollow and the Aidan & Ariel blogs that I don't want to let go, so I'm experimenting with an app that should connect by Blogger blogs to my Facebook page.

I've also started using Twitter, which will also show tweets on Facebook.

Just checking to see if this works.

Obama supports RFS, McCain doesn't

2008-09-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama reaffirmed his support of the federal Renewable Fuels Standard on Tuesday. Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, opposes the fuel standard that mandates a specific amount of ethanol be used in the nation's fuel supply.

Obama's statement was reported Wednesday in an article by Jerry Hagstrom for DTN Ag News:

In a telephone call to a National Farmers Union reception in Washington, Obama said he has supported the RFS and federal programs for renewable fuels since he became a senator from Illinois. He also noted that the weather-related disaster program, hospitals, the recruitment of doctors and high-speed internet service are important to rural America.

"I will keep on fighting for you as president," Obama said. "These are the legislative priorities I am going to tackle with you." Obama received the Golden Triangle from the NFU, a Democratic-leaning group.

The article also quotes Iowa Republican senator Chuck Grassley as saying that his party's platform is "inconsistent" on renewable fuels issues.

CNN Poll in Iowa: Obama 55 -- McCain 40

2008-09-03T17:45:00.003-05:00

Not surprisingly, Obama is currently crushing McCain here in Iowa. This poll makes a lot of sense, given the fact that McCain has been so hostile toward agriculture.

Here's the link

In a CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. survey out Wednesday afternoon, 55 percent of Iowa registered voters who were questioned said that Obama, D-Illinois, is their choice for president, with 40 percent backing McCain, R-Arizona. That's more than double the lead Obama had in a University of Iowa poll taken early last month.
"Obama is winning in all regions of the state, even in the western counties, where George W. Bush beat John Kerry by 17 points," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. "Obama is winning rural voters in Iowa, not something you see in many other states."
Iowa's caucuses kicked off the presidential primary season and launched Obama toward the Democratic presidential nomination.
"Iowa was Barack Obama's breakthrough state. He won the Democratic caucuses with a powerful organization. John McCain barely competed in the Iowa Republican caucuses. He came in fourth," said Bill Schneider, a CNN senior political analyst.
"Obama retains a strong organization in Iowa, where McCain is just beginning to get started," Schneider said.

Catfish

2008-09-02T13:34:00.001-05:00

Caught a nice catfish at the Albia Reservoir over the weekend. It weighed just slightly under five pounds.

Where does McCain's VP pick stand on biofuels?

2008-08-29T14:49:00.002-05:00

It's no secret in Iowa where the two presidential candidates stand on renewable fuels.

John McCain is infamous for standing against biofuels time after time. And he sure didn't score too well on the Iowa Corn Growers Association's survey last year.

Barack Obama, a corn-belt senator, is a strong proponent of biofuels, and has talked about them at length during the presidential campaign. Iowans liked his message, and helped propel him to win the Democratic nomination.

Obama's pick for vice-president, Joe Biden, is clearly on the right side of the debate. Just watch this video:

So where does McCain's pick for VP stand? It's a mystery. But considering her ties to Big Oil in Alaska, I wouldn't bet on her being a friend to biofuels. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Gettin' Better

2008-08-27T11:05:00.001-05:00

Awesome Tesla tune, and it fits the moment perfectly. Enjoy!

Convention coverage

2008-08-27T11:01:00.002-05:00

My brother Joe is out in Denver. He's created a blog, Albia Democrat, where he's posting some good stuff from the convention.

Also, Chase Martyn is in Denver for the Iowa Independent. Check 'em out for some good coverage from the Iowa point-of-view.

Biden

2008-08-23T13:30:00.004-05:00

Joe Biden was a brilliant choice to be Barack Obama's running mate. Biden was very popular among Iowa Democrats last year when he ran for president. He connected well with the people he met, and gained quite a few supporters along the way.

Above is a photo I took of Biden with my son, Aidan and my wife, Steva when Biden came to Albia for a campaign event.

McCain on farm policy

2008-08-21T12:17:00.002-05:00

Here are a few links to some stories on Iowa Independent that will shed some light on John McCain's views on federal ag policy.

This story by Doug Burns shows what Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin has to say.

Here's a story I did at the state fair last week when I interviewed Senate Agriculture Committee member Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

This story has a link to the Iowa Corn Growers Association's Targeted Agricultural Education Project results.

It's all stuff that should be of interest to farmers and rural Iowans.

Ottumwa Braces for the Flood

2008-06-11T19:42:00.008-05:00

Sandbagging operations were taking place Wednesday in Ottumwa as residents were preparing for flooding of the Des Moines River.

A large crowd of volunteers gathered to move sandbags in Ottumwa. Ottumwa Mayor Dale Uehling has urged residents who live near the river to be prepared to evacuate.

City officials are expected to close Ottumwa's Market Street Bridge in the coming days.

The gates are wide open on the Ottumwa Hydroelectric Dam. The river is expected to crest at 21 feet, one foot less than the record set during the flood of 1993.

Volunteers pitch in to place filled sandbags on pallets so they can be loaded on trucks and taken to areas of town where they are needed.

Some people gathered near the water's edge to get a look at the rising Des Moines River.

Local bow fishermen were taking advantage of the situation, watching for confused fish on the lower side of the hydroelectric dam in Ottumwa.

Photos: Boswell and Fallon Election Night Events

2008-06-04T01:04:00.009-05:00

Rep. Leonard Boswell smiles as he accepts the Democratic nomination for re-election to represent Iowa's 3rd Congressional District.

Boswell speaks to the crowd at his election night headquarters at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

Supporters of Boswell's challenger Ed Fallon watch the election returns at Fallon's headquarters at the Raccoon River Brewing Company.

Ed Fallon chats with supporters shortly before conceding defeat to Boswell.

Iowa Lt. Governor Patty Judge introduces Boswell to the crowd at Boswell's election night headquarters.

Television news crews crowded into the room for the 10 p.m. newscast announcing Boswell's victory.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan addresses the crowd at Boswell's election night headquarters. Brennan congratulated Boswell and all of the Democrats who won victories in Tuesday's primary elections.

Counterattack Against Ethanol Critics is Gaining Steam, Grassley Says

2008-05-30T10:07:00.002-05:00

Renewable fuels advocates are fighting back against a multimillion-dollar campaign against ethanol funded by the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said this week that he's seeing increasing support for his battle against ethanol's detractors. "I think we're picking up some steam," said Grassley in a conference call with agriculture reporters this week. "Although I doubt if we've caught up with the steam that the grocery manufacturers have already established."

Grassley was referring to an elaborate anti-ethanol smear campaign, masterminded by Washington lobbyist firm Glover Park Group and bankrolled by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which was recently exposed in a May 14 article in Roll Call magazine. Glover Park's plan involved exploiting a world shortage of certain food grains while blaming ethanol production for the rise in world food prices.

According to Roll Call, Glover Park was hired for $300,000 to craft the anti-ethanol campaign, which the GMA hoped would involve "taking advantage of the 'extraordinary earned media opportunities' caused by rising food prices; mobilizing local food banks and 'other local opinion leaders in key states and districts'; and hiring 'trusted third-party experts' to document" the effect of ethanol incentives.

Glover Park created a plan to "obliterate whatever intellectual justification" exists for ethanol derived from corn, which would involve demonstrating to policy makers that "there is a political price to allowing ethanol policy to drive up the cost of food."

Mainstream media appeared to have bought the story hook, line and sinker. But Grassley pounced on the news in that Roll Call article, delivering a scathing speech on the Senate floor that he says has rallied renewable fuels advocates to redouble their efforts in defense of ethanol.

"I think maybe my speech on the Senate floor a couple weeks ago was the genesis," said Grassley. "We're finding some increasing support now."

Grassley said that the anti-ethanol campaign is still way ahead of the curve. "They were about a month ahead of us before we realized what they were trying to do. But I think you're going to find renewable fuels people and their allies start a counterattack."

Some reports have stated that as much as $15 million has been dedicated to the anti-ethanol campaign, with a $5 million contribution from the GMA and as much as $10 million kicked in by the American Petroleum Institute.

Grassley said he didn't know if renewable fuels advocates could offset that multimillion-dollar public relations assault. "But we hope to embarrass the grocery manufacturers out of it, because they're part of the food chain and they shouldn't be pitting farmers against consumers," said Grassley.

The video below is Grassley's May 15 speech on the Senate floor where he blasted the GMA and Glover Park Group.

New Appointment

2008-05-12T22:32:00.002-05:00

Today I was sworn-in as a member of the Monroe County Board of Supervisors. It's an honor to be chosen to serve on the board, and I'll do my best to fulfill all of the duties of the job. But it's a sad turn of events that brought this about. I was appointed to fill the unexpired term of the seat left open by the sad passing of Paul Koffman.

Paul Koffman had served on the board for 16 years, and was a very effective and respected supervisor all those years. His current term was up at the end of this year, but he was not running for re-election when he passed away in April. The unexpired term just lasts until the election in November.

It's exciting and humbling to take on this important but temporary endeavor. There are some fantastic candidates running for the seats on the board this year, and I hope the people of Monroe County give them all a good look as candidates.

Reward Offered for Lost Dog

2008-04-23T13:03:00.003-05:00

My brother and sister-in-law have lost their beloved German Shepherd.

Allison was walking with her dogs Koda and Ripley on Monday evening, and Koda took off on a run and didn't come back. We've searched the area and have not found him yet.

Koda is a large male, neutered dog. He is classic German Shepherd coloring, black and reddish tan. He was wearing a black harness. He is incredibly friendly and should come right up to you if you call his name.

Please call 319-530-6590 or 641-777-2900 with any information. A significant reward is being offered.

Simple Solution For Fallon

2008-04-04T12:38:00.003-05:00

Looks like Ed Fallon has gotten himself into a pickle.

He's used his private organization "I'M For Iowa" to help his congressional campaign, but he won't disclose where the organization gets its money.

Apparently -- if you follow the letter of the law -- there's nothing illegal going on, which is a good thing for Fallon. But it doesn't look good when somebody who portrays himself as a champion for campaign finance reform uses a secretive group to help his own campaign. Looks a little hypocritical.

Then today we learned that Fallon's campaign has claimed that the Federal Elections Commission "confirmed that Ed Fallon has done nothing illegal or unethical," but the FEC actually did not make any such confirmation.

Fallon has never been shy about criticizing his Democratic colleagues. Now he's the one facing some serious criticism and he needs to address it.

Seems to me there's a simple solution to Fallon's problem: Publicly disclose the list of donors and their contributions to I'M For Iowa. That ought to be a fairly quick and easy thing to do, and it would show he has nothing to hide.

Gordon Thunders Down the Line

2008-03-24T15:06:00.004-05:00

It was a beautiful day on the island of Sodor. Thomas and all of his friends were being very useful engines.

But then Henry said some unkind things about Thomas. That made Gordon cross.

Gordon was very upset, and he didn't think before he told the other engines what he thought about Henry.

Sir Topham Hatt scolded all of the engines. "You have caused confusion and delay. You must stop bickering and start being really useful engines again," said Sir Topham Hatt.

Olbermann's Special Comment on Ferraro

2008-03-13T10:25:00.003-05:00

This is all over the place already. But it should be. Might as well post it here as well. I think Olbermann captures what millions of people are thinking right now.

Here's my two cents: If something doesn't change soon, the Democratic Party is going to go down in flames. The Clinton campaign needs to immediately knock off all of this race-baiting stuff or we're going to hand the presidency to John McCain.

A Loss in Texas Should Be the End for Hillary

2008-03-04T14:55:00.003-06:00

I'm going to go ahead and predict a victory for Barack Obama in Texas.

I think it's going to be a close one for Obama, given all of the merciless attacks he's sustained from the Clinton machine. But I believe he can pull out a victory nonetheless.

And if that happens, Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race. It would be best for the Democratic Party. Democrats need to get unified behind our nominee, and soon. This is going to be a huge battle to win the general election, and Democrats need to start working together in order to win.

Lots of Farm Bill News

2008-02-22T09:47:00.004-06:00

I've been pretty busy this week covering some interesting happenings in the Farm Bill world. Please check out some of these stories I posted over on Iowa Independent:

Boswell Will Push For Packer Ban

Grassley Explains Farm Bill Wrangling In Iowa Independent Interview

Studies Show Farm Bill Loopholes Still Favor the Wealthy

This weekend I'll be going over to Ottumwa for the big Corn Belt Cow-Calf Conference. I hope to do some video stuff that I'll post as soon as I can get it edited.

Gladiatus

2008-02-14T17:26:00.002-06:00

Click this link.

You will get mugged, but it doesn't hurt.

I'm serious. You'll get mugged. And my little gladiator dude will get some gold.

Oh, just click it. Please?

Mudcat Explains It All

2008-01-30T20:37:00.000-06:00

One of the most memorable characters from the Iowa caucus campaign is Mudcat Saunders. I had the opportunity to talk to him at length several times over the course of the campaign, and I must say he's a powerful voice for rural folks.

I sorta gave him a hard time over on Iowa Independent about that Edwards rural DVD, but I respect him tremendously for what he added to the Edwards campaign.

Today, as John Edwards was dropping out of the presidential race, Mudcat was on MSNBC talking about Hillary and the possibility of an Edwards endorsement. You've got to watch this video, it's great:

Hat tip to Ben Smith at Politico.

Hillary Thumbs Nose at DNC

2008-01-27T20:42:00.000-06:00

Infuriating.

Update: Apparently they agree with me in New Hampshire.

George R.R. Martin on the Presidential Race

2008-01-13T13:29:00.000-06:00

George R.R. Martin (my very most favoritest fiction author in the world) sometimes shares his views on real-world politics over on his "Not A Blog" website.

Martin lives in New Mexico, so I was always kind of curious about his thoughts on Bill Richardson and the rest of the candidates in the race.

Here's what Martin posted a couple of days ago:

The political season is well underway. I haven't made any political posts here as yet, but be warned, they will be coming. That's one of the reasons I started this Not-A-Blog, you may recall. So far, I haven't decided which Dem to support in this year's presidential contest. I was leaning toward Bill Richardson, who has been a superb governor for New Mexico, but Bill is out of it now, so I guess I'll have to find a new candidate. Obama and Edwards both interest me. I am lukewarm about Hillary. I wish she had come out stronger against the war.

The best thing about this election, no matter who wins, is that come 2009, we will finally be rid of the worst president in all of American history, that malignant moron George W. Bush.

Interesting comments. He continues to give me more reasons to be a GRRM fan. Now if he'd just let us know what's going to happen on the political landscape of Westeros!

Practical Farmers of Iowa Gather in Des Moines for Annual Conference

2008-01-12T11:51:00.000-06:00

The Practical Farmers of Iowa gathered in Des Moines Friday and Saturday for an annual conference featuring a full schedule of educational seminars.

The organization serves Iowa farmers by promoting ecologically-sound and profitable farming techniques. There are approximately 700 members of the organization in Iowa and neighboring states.

Workshops held at the conference included sessions on soil quality and organic farming, a discussion on the new federal farm bill and a seminar exclusively for beginning farmers.

On Friday, the organization held a screening of the documentary film "King Corn," followed by a session hosted by the film's director Aaron Woolf and co-star Curt Ellis.

One of the major initiatives led by PFI is an effort to create a new "Iowa Food Cooperative" that would operate as an internet-based food distribution system linking farmers and consumers. The cooperative would bring together Iowa's existing farmers' markets and community-supported-agriculture programs to help put fresh Iowa foods on the tables of Iowa consumers.

Iowa Independent visited with PFI executive director Teresa Opheim, who explains the organization in this short video:

Video: Gordon Fischer Comments on Obama Victory

2008-01-04T14:48:00.000-06:00

I caught up with former Iowa Democratic Party chairman and Barack Obama adviser Gordon Fischer last night at the Obama victory party, where he shared his thoughts in this quick video clip.

Smoky Hollow's Iowa Caucus Kudos and Cowpies

2008-01-03T15:41:00.000-06:00

Stephen Colbert has his "Tip of the Hat and Wag of the Finger."

The Des Moines Register has its "Roses and Thistles."

Welcome to the first-ever edition of Smoky Hollow's Kudos and Cowpies.

A cowpie to Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd for failing to find Monroe County on an Iowa map. Neither of these two candidates set foot here in my county throughout the entire caucus season, despite the fact that both of them ran very active campaigns all over Iowa.

And kudos to John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Barack Obama and Joe Biden for showing us respect and coming to our part of the state to personally ask us for our support. It matters.

A cowpie to all of the top tier, second tier and third tier Republican candidates who turned their back on Monroe County by failing to come here in person and pay us a visit. Specifically, I'm talking about Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter.

And kudos to Republicans John Cox and Tommy Thompson for visiting us in Albia. It wasn't enough to help them, but we do appreciate it.

And kudos to all of the campaign staffers who have been working their hearts out. I know what it's like to work on a campaign, and I know it's really, really hard.

A big, fat, steaming COWPIE to the campaign press staffers who did not return my phone calls. I'm not going to name names, but some of the presidential campaigns really don't want to answer questions.

And kudos to all of the news media folks who have been tromping around our state. I hope you have enjoyed your brief stay here, and I hope you'll remember how wonderful a place Iowa really is.

And finally, whole-hearted kudos to my colleagues at Iowa Independent for all of your excellent work covering the Iowa caucuses.

Caucus Eve Predictions

2008-01-02T10:14:00.000-06:00

I love making predictions. I'm always guessing out loud what I think might happen in politics.

Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong. Last summer I made a bet with another blogger that Fred Thompson would be the Republican presidential nominee. Whoops!?!

I've been about as closely engaged with this process as any normal human being can be. I've attended literally dozens of campaign events and met most of the candidates personally. I've watched all of the TV ads and answered the phone countless times to hear robo-calls and sometimes living, breathing campaign staffers making their case for their candidates.

I watched candidates munch pork chops at the state fair and tenderloins in Albia.

It's amazing and sort of sad that it's all going to come to an end tomorrow night. I might have to start a new hobby or something to occupy my time.

Everywhere I go, friends and acquaintances ask me who is going to win. I almost always end up boring them with a long sermon about the caucuses and each candidate before finally getting to the point that I really don't know.

But now, on the eve of the caucuses, I think I know. I'll try to avoid writing a long a boring list of predictions and explanations. There are plenty of pundits who do that all the time. I'll get straight to the point. Here's basically what I think is going to happen:

First, the Republicans...

Mike Huckabee will win the Iowa Republican caucuses, but it will be a very close victory over Mitt Romney. Neither candidate will really benefit from it. This will result in a storyline that helps John McCain in New Hampshire and further makes the Republican nomination anybody's ball game.

And the Democrats...

Barack Obama will win a decisive victory on Thursday night in Iowa, and it will go down as an historic mark in presidential politics.

John Edwards will win here in Monroe County and in many of the rural counties around the state, but he won't be able to muster enough support to place above Obama or Hillary.

Hillary's campaign will be seriously wounded after putting everything into winning and coming up short. She will limp through the rest of the early states. But that doesn't mean she won't win the Democratic nomination.

Obama Criticizes Edwards' Senate Record

2007-12-22T14:17:00.000-06:00

Presidential candidate Barack Obama, D-Ill., openly criticized rival John Edwards' U.S. Senate record today in front of a crowd of approximately 300 in Oskaloosa.

Obama made the charge that Edwards' record during his single term as a senator from North Carolina does not match the rhetoric he's been using on the campaign trail.

"Both of us agree that we've got to take on the special interests and the lobbyists," said Obama. "Both of us agree that they have too much influence in Washington. But I would argue that in positions where we actually had a chance to do something about it, I did something and John didn't. During six years in the Senate he wasn't passing laws to reduce the power of lobbyists," said Obama. He continued by highlighting his own recent work to reform Congressional ethics laws.

Obama also criticized Edwards regarding independent special interest groups and their influence on the campaign.

"John, yesterday, said he didn't believe in 527s. Those are these independent groups that raise money without disclosure," said Obama. "We found out today that there's an outside group that's funding $750,000, just bought three quarters of a million dollars worth of television time, and the individual running the group used to be John Edwards' campaign manager."

"The easiest thing in the world is to talk about change during election time," he said. "You've got to look at how they act when it's not convenient."

Aw Shucks, Edwards Video is Just Too Much

2007-12-21T09:10:00.000-06:00

[Commentary] Those of us living in rural Iowa get just as much political mail as everybody else. Endless piles of fliers and pamphlets touting a candidate's strengths or attacking their weaknesses. We get it all, just like they do up in Des Moines.

But rural Iowans can expect something else to arrive in their mailboxes in the coming days from John Edwards, and it's made especially for us. The Edwards campaign has put together a DVD video aimed at making the case that Edwards is the candidate that will cure what ails rural America.

The DVD, titled "John Edwards: For the Country," is narrated by former Georgia congressman Ben "Cooter" Jones, the actor who played Cooter on "The Dukes of Hazzard."

It also features policy discussion by rural political strategist Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, who wears a Cubs hat as he rails against the corporate powers that he says have destroyed the economies of rural America. He makes a good point, although some may find it all a bit too combative.

Edwards should be commended for his commitment to the issues facing the people who live out here in the country. He has campaigned harder than any of the other candidates (in either party) for the rural vote, and he's probably going to do very well on caucus night because of it.

But the video, with bluegrass music playing over the entirety of its 12 minutes, is about as hokey as a possum wearin' bib overalls. It's the kind of stuff that makes some of us in rural Iowa grumble. Sometimes we get the feeling that a rural rube stereotype is being unfairly perpetuated, and some of us don't like that.

They've gone out of their way to find a log cabin to use as a backdrop for Mudcat, and some kind of shed with cedar shake siding for Cooter. It's all a bit much. It brings to mind that movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and all the while I'm thinking, "Did they film this at Living History Farms?"

There was one line from Edwards that really stuck out as I watched the video. "Rural America is not homogeneous," he says. "There are significant differences from one part of the country to the other and from one community to the other."

I couldn't agree more on that point. I don't know anybody around here who lives in a log cabin.

I Wish This Was For Real

2007-12-19T12:44:00.000-06:00

I'm a big fan of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. I'm among the millions worldwide who are aching for the completion of this awesome story.

Some people get so anxious for anything new, they take it upon themselves to create their own new SoIaF stuff. Like this YouTube video of an imaginary movie based on GRRM's books. It's all made using clips of existing movies. Check it out:

Ever Heard of Albia?

2007-12-17T12:32:00.000-06:00

With less than three weeks to go before the Iowa precinct caucuses, I thought I'd post a quick update on candidate visits. We're not getting very many.

Out here in the sparsely populated rural areas like Monroe County, it's very meaningful to us when a candidate takes the time to find us on the map and pay us a visit. We do not like to be ignored.

The following Republican presidential candidates have set foot in Monroe County so far: John Cox, Tommy Thompson.

The following Democratic presidential candidates have set foot in Monroe County so far: John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Barack Obama, Joe Biden.

Congratulations to those who bothered to take the time to venture out into the hinterlands.

P.S. -- Surrogates don't count.

Trapped Under Ice

2007-12-11T11:45:00.000-06:00

We're here safe and sound in Smoky Hollow, but we're probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

There are obvious advantages to living in an area like this. We live down a long tree-lined lane, totally surrounded by woods, and it's such a beautiful place to be. But sometimes you pay the price.

This morning we awoke to find everything -- everywhere -- completely covered with ice. Go outside and you could hear limbs popping and crashing out in the woods.

Our driveway was blocked, as you can see in the picture above (Click on the pic and view it full size, it's really amazing), by trees that just couldn't bear the weight of all that ice. I got the chainsaw out and went to work.

I spent the whole time as I was cutting those limbs worrying about the trees over my head. Would one of those limbs come crashing down on my head?

Then, just before noon, the power went out. We waited a little while, hoping the lights would come back on, but they didn't. So we packed up and went to Albia to my grandparents' house. They didn't lose their electricity, but their phones, cable and internet service was out all day.

I drove back out here just after 4 p.m. and found that the power was back. So I went back to the grandparents' and loaded everybody back up and we came home. We're here safe and warm, and not planning to go anywhere anytime soon...unless the power goes out again.

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

2007-12-03T20:23:00.001-06:00

For the record, I don't remember what I wanted to be when I was in kindergarten. But I'm thinking it was probably a Jedi.

Or more likely, I just wanted to be the owner of a light saber. I was obsessed with Star Wars from 1977 until...well, until the present.

Hillary Clinton's campaign attacks are really starting to get ridiculous. She has blasted Barack Obama for something he said when he was in kindergarten. Clinton says Obama had told someone when he was in kindergarten that he wanted to be president. Clinton says that makes him a hypocrite. Or something like that.

I like John Edwards' response to all this. He said when he was in third grade, he wanted to be a cowboy or Superman.

This Seed Hat Wearer Is Not Offended

2007-11-29T00:45:00.000-06:00

So I'm just minding my own business in my little corner of heaven out here in the country, and all of a sudden I hear there's some kind of dust-up about something Barack Obama said in regard to rural Iowans. It had something to do with seed hats, so of course I was interested.

As a rural Iowan who is rarely seen in public without a seed hat planted firmly on his head, I needed to learn what disgusting derogatory comment was made so I could take action against this outrage. So I did some digging.

They say it all started with Obama's appearance on Nightline a few days ago. Strange, I thought. I'd watched Terry Moran's Obama interview on Nightline, and heard nothing to which a rural Iowan should take offense. Maybe I just missed it, maybe I dozed off.

A look at the transcript would reveal it, I thought. Here's what I found:

MORAN: Do you think Americans are challenged by voting potentially for a presidential candidate who didn't have an American boyhood?
OBAMA: Oh, well, I think that it is both a challenge and an opportunity. I think there's no doubt that the fact that my name is Barack Obama and that my father was from Kenya and that I grew up in Hawaii that there's that whole exotic aspect to me that people, I think, have to get past. But they also, surprisingly enough, even in rural Iowa, recognize the opportunity to send a signal to the world that, you know, we are not as ingrown, as parochial as you may perceive or as the Bush administration seems to have communicated, that we are, in fact, embracing the world, we are listening, we are concerned, we want to be engaged. We want to be safe. We want to be treated fairly. We want to make sure that, whether it's on trade relations or dealing with terrorism, that our national interests are dealt with. But we also recognize that we're part of the world community. And I think it was interesting, just here in Dunlap, you notice that some of the biggest applause was when I talked about wanting America to be respected again in the world. People understand this in a very significant way.

Still nothing about seed hats. But apparently I'm supposed to be irked about the "surprisingly enough, even in rural Iowa" phrase. That's what bloggers in Los Angeles are saying, anyway. They're saying I should be steaming mad about this.

As I sit here and think about it, I actually don't take offense to that comment at all. To the contrary, I fully agree with Obama on this point. I've always been bothered by the stereotype of rural America that's been pushed by George W. Bush and many Republicans. This idea that we all ascribe to the Bush view of the world, the cowboy diplomacy, the "with us or against us" attitude of addressing world affairs.

Obama's right. Even in places where you wouldn't expect it, people are deeply concerned about America's standing in the world.

I've seen this concern throughout the past year at the dozens of political events I've attended. And like Obama, I've been surprised as well. People out here in the small towns are not asking the candidates much about corn, or soybeans, or hogs. I even wrote a story about that very subject a couple weeks ago. A candidate can do a major policy rollout on agricultural issues and people say "ho-hum." People out here are worried about Iraq, and terrorism. And they talk about torture. They're upset about our porous borders and they wonder why Bin Ladin got away. And they're asking candidates about gas prices and our dependence on foreign oil.

They want America to be seen once again as the respected leader in the world.

Just last Saturday, Joe Biden came to Albia and took questions for more than an hour from local residents. There wasn't a single question asked about agriculture. Not one. A young woman sitting behind me asked Biden about how he would prevent further genocide in Darfur. Her question was thoughtful and informed, and she asked it boldly. Biden looked very surprised to hear such a question from such a young Iowan, but I must say I was surprised as well. And I was proud of the fact that folks in my hometown take their role in the Iowa caucuses so seriously.

So anyway I still needed to get to the bottom of this Obama seed hat business. Here's where it came from, in an appearance on the Tonight Show.

JAY LENO: Let me ask you, you've been campaigning for quite a while now. Anything surprised you? Obviously they brief you. You get out there and you think -- I don't know if you saw our Jay Walking how amazing what people don't know. Is there anything you go, "Do people even know what we're talking about?"
OBAMA: You know, folks in Iowa are really well informed. I'm spending a lot of time there.
JAY LENO: That's really good.
OBAMA: I'm just telling you, you go to some barn somewhere and some guy in overalls and a seed hat, he's say, "What is your policy on Burma?" And it turns out I think people are a lot more plugged in.

I know a lot of guys who wear overalls and seed hats, and I'm sure none of them would be offended by that. They would nod and agree.

Now, if I could just get the candidates to answer some questions about farm programs...

Joe Biden Visits Albia

2007-11-24T22:23:00.000-06:00

Joe Biden paid us a visit today in Albia. Here's a photo of him with my son, Aidan, and my wife, Steva.

The Delaware Senator is working very hard to break into the top tier, and if he can continue to connect with one voter at a time like he did today, he will get there soon.

Biden is very good at connecting with people in these small settings. It's events like this when he has the time he needs to go into great detail about his views on major issues. His deep experience really shines through.

As I've written on this blog before, I believe Biden is going to be one candidate that will surprise people on caucus night.

Update: Had a couple more photos sent to me today. I added them on Aidan's blog. Click here to check them out.

Agriculture and the Caucuses

2007-11-20T10:33:00.000-06:00

The national media tends to perpetuate a myth that presidential candidates are always pandering to Iowa farmers. As I have followed this campaign very closely throughout the year, I've found that is simply untrue.

With a few exceptions, it's been tough to catch a candidate talking in depth about agriculture. They just don't talk about it or get asked about it very much.

Yesterday I interviewed Iowa Farmers Union president Chris Petersen for an article on Iowa Independent. Petersen has generally been disappointed with the discussion of ag issues during the campaign, but says some of the candidates are now starting to see the light. Here's a link to the article.

IowaIndependent.com Democratic Candidate Power Rankings

2007-11-16T14:41:00.001-06:00

Iowa Independent has a new feature starting today. It's called the Power Ranking, and it explains how we believe the Iowa caucus races are shaping up at this moment.

Check it out, and be sure to share your ideas over there at Iowa Independent in the comments.

CNN Las Vegas Debate Reactions

2007-11-15T22:45:00.000-06:00

Who was the winner? Who was the loser?

Not sure if there was a winner. The loser was CNN. Wolf Blitzer had zero command of the stage as moderator. There were technical foul-ups throughout the evening. Post-debate analysis was virtually unwatchable.

Tonight's effort by CNN should be studied in a new college course: How Not To Run A Presidential Debate 101.

Farm Bill Cloture Vote Possible Friday

2007-11-15T20:19:00.000-06:00

The 2007 Farm Bill is still stuck in the U.S. Senate, and Democrats and Republicans have been trying to blame each other for the impasse for almost two weeks.

On Friday, a key vote to break the deadlock is likely to be held. Senators may have the opportunity to vote on a motion for cloture, a procedural move that would limit debate on the bill and finally get the ball rolling.

One problem: Cloture motions in the Senate require a 60-vote majority to pass, and a small gang of senators are currently on the other side of the country having a debate in Nevada.

Sens. Biden, Dodd, Clinton and Obama, along with the rest of the Democratic presidential candidates, are all mixing it up right now in Las Vegas. But we know those senators will all soon return to Iowa and continue asking us to support their candidacies.

For Iowans, especially rural Iowans, the Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation that the Congress will debate this year. This is a vote that those senators should not miss.

Luckily they're in Las Vegas, where it's always easy to catch a flight.

Questions About Planting

2007-11-13T19:30:00.000-06:00

Considering the regular agriculture-related content of this blog, you might think by reading the headline of this post that it's going to discuss questions farmers may have about planting corn or beans.

But of course this isn't about that.

As regular readers of this blog know, I had the honor of welcoming a presidential candidate to my community last week. You can read all about it here. And as I've said before, I'd be happy to show off my beautiful community with any other presidential candidates who'd like to pay us a visit. I think it's fun and it's good for Albia to get the attention it deserves.

I did in fact visit with some reporters that day, and lo and behold, I was quoted in a story that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times today. Unfortunately, the story is sorta screwy.

No offense is intended to Ms. S. Jennifer Hunter, the author of the article, who I must say was genuinely affable and professional that day. And she was also quite cordial on Saturday, when I ran into her again at the Iowa Farmers Union event in Des Moines.

But the point of her article...well, it's way off the mark. Ms. Hunter attempted to use my comments to prove a point that is, quite frankly, ridiculous.

Basically, Ms. Hunter says, a camera-ready moment created by the Obama campaign in picturesque Albia is no different from Hillary Clinton's campaign planting questions at public forums.

This assertion is as amazing as it is illogical.

Was the Obama stop in Albia pre-arranged? Sorta. They called my brother Joe beforehand and asked him to meet Sen. Obama on the square in Albia and give him a brief tour if they had enough time between scheduled events. Joe is the Monroe County Democratic Party chair, and an Obama precinct captain.

I was asked to tag along, and I thought it would be fun.

From my experience on political campaigns, a certain amount of planning must be done for every little moment. And we know how things have to be checked out and cleared in advance with the Secret Service. Reporters at the Chicago Sun-Times ought to know that, too. Campaigns have to plan ahead for things like this.

I don't know all of the details about what kind of planning went into the Obama stop in Albia. I was just asked to go meet him on the square in Albia. But I do know the stop was not part of their official schedule, and it was only going to happen if they had enough time. And, just an hour before the stop was supposed to happen, they told Joe that it could be called off at any minute if they were running late.

I think they just wanted to stop in Albia so they could cross Albia off the list of places they needed to hit before the end of the campaign. No problem here. I think all presidential candidates should come to Albia, and only a few of them actually have made it here so far.

Anyway, the Obama stop in Albia was certainly a well-orchestrated campaign moment. But that's all it was.

As far as I know, my brother and I were the only people in town who knew about it in advance. And it was totally obvious to everyone there that day -- we knew Obama was coming. We were standing there on the street in Albia waiting for him to arrive.

Here's my point: In this instance, the Obama campaign wasn't trying to trick anybody.

Is this kind of photo-op moment the same as getting someone at a public forum to ask a pre-arranged question all while pretending like it's an impromptu question?

Nope. It's not.

Farm Bill Action Expected This Afternoon

2007-11-13T12:44:00.000-06:00

I'll be watching the U.S. Senate closely this afternoon, as debate on the 2007 Farm Bill is expected to soon resume. We might actually see some votes on key amendments to the bill.

I'll be posting Farm Bill stories regularly on Iowa Independent, so check it out over there.

A Few Campaign Photos From the Past Week

2007-11-09T11:30:00.000-06:00

I've been to several different campaign events in the area over the past week. I took lots of photos, and here are some of them.
This was at a Joe Biden event in Osky on Sunday. Biden is welcomed to town by Rep. Eric Palmer.
The Biden event at Taso's in Osky was quite full. He is a very engaging campaigner, and I think everyone who attends a Biden event will give him very serious consideration as their choice in the caucuses. His strength is definitely growing, even though polls don't show it. He is the kind of candidate that will surprise people on caucus night.

The next set of photos are from a Hillary Clinton event in Oskaloosa last Saturday. Her events are very impressive, and it's easy to see why she's the front-runner. She clearly has the support of many of the traditional Iowa caucus constituencies. And as you can see below, she actually does take questions from the crowd. At this event she took at least five questions from people in the crowd. She'll even hold the microphone for you.

Obama Makes Unscheduled Stop in Albia

2007-11-09T09:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was definitely one to remember. Most importantly, it was my wife's birthday. After a hectic day we were able to sit down and have some birthday cake to celebrate the occasion.

But something else happened here yesterday that sure doesn't happen everyday. Barack Obama was traveling from Ottumwa to Chariton, and he stopped halfway in Albia for a quick unscheduled visit to our beautiful community.

My brother Joe is a big Obama supporter. Joe asked me to go with him up to the square and meet Obama and show him around town a little bit. Being the total political junkie that I am, I jumped at the chance to have a one-on-one conversation with the Senator from Illinois. And I've always been eager and happy to show off our town to people from other parts of the country. We really have a wonderful, beautiful town square and people are always surprised to see it.

The whole afternoon was kind of a surreal experience. I've witnessed tons of these kinds of moments, but this was different.

The whole gaggle of press photographers and reporters were snapping photos of us the entire time. As is always the case with these kinds of things, the Obama campaign had basically choreographed the whole thing. But things didn't exactly follow the plan.

We walked across Albia's historic square and Sen. Obama asked us questions about Albia. I told him about Robert T. Bates and the Bates Foundation, which has helped to maintain and restore the historic buildings on the Albia square.

Joe, who is a teacher at Albia Community High School, talked to Obama about the schools and students.

We continued down the street to Smitty's Sandwich Shop, a local fixture in Albia, famous for their home-made tenderloins. We go into Smitty's and there are probably 25-30 reporters and photographers and campaign workers and Secret Service people all elbowing their way into the small restaurant.

We continue our chat as the photographers snap away. I talked briefly with Obama about the Farm Bill and rural Iowa and stuff.

We get our tenderloins (Obama takes his tenderloin to go) and make our way out of the restaurant. And then Obama decides to walk over to Vitko's service station. I guess this was not part of the plan, because I hear Secret Service guys saying "What, where's he going?"

He's starting to draw a crowd as he visits with people at Vitko's, and then he goes in and meets Ray Vitko Sr. and chats with folks there for a few minutes before walking back to the bus.

It was a great opportunity to show off our town to such a large audience. I'd be very happy to welcome any of the presidential candidates to Albia. We haven't seen Hillary in Albia yet, or Joe Biden or Chris Dodd. And on the Republican side we've only had visits from Tommy Thompson and John Cox. I'd certainly welcome any of them to Albia and I'd love to show them around town.

Here are a few photos:
My brother Joe with Sen. Barack Obama in Albia, just outside of Smitty's Sandwich Shop.

Obama visits with Sally McDonald at Smitty's. Sally has worked behind the counter at Smitty's for many years. Her daughter owns the place.

Smitty's owner Shari Lepley, Obama and Sally McDonald.

2007 Farm Bill Fiesta

2007-10-26T10:27:00.000-05:00

It's been a really busy week for me over on Iowa Independent. Please stop over there and check out my running series on the 2007 Farm Bill.

"Rural Americans for Hillary" Event at D.C. Lobbyist Office Draws Fire From Rivals

2007-10-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has come under fire from rival Democrats for planning a "Rural Americans For Hillary" event to be held at the office of a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm.

An ABC News blog reported this morning that the Clinton campaign will hold a lunch and briefing at Troutman Sanders Public Affairs, lobbyists for agribusiness giant Monsanto.

Monsanto was recently in the news in Iowa when the Iowa Attorney General's Office began an investigation of the company's business practices.

The John Edwards campaign pounced on the opportunity to highlight Clinton's close connection to powerful Washington lobbyists, and the Barack Obama campaign quickly joined in the fray. Both Edwards and Obama used rural surrogates to fire the shots at Clinton.

In a press release from the Edwards campaign, former Congressman Ben "Cooter" Jones said Clinton's "idea of talking to rural Americans is having a campaign lunch in Washington, D.C. with agribusiness lobbyists." He said Clinton simply doesn't relate to folks in rural Iowa, "and from what they tell me, they don't relate to her either."

The Obama campaign released a statement from former Iowa Farmers Union president Gary Lamb. "When it comes to the issues facing rural America, it seems like Sen. Clinton is listening to Washington lobbyists instead of spending time in Iowa with folks who have been farming for decades," he said. "I know Sen. Clinton said that she believes Washington lobbyists represent real Americans, I just can't believe that she thinks they know how to farm."

Both Obama and Edwards have recently campaigned in Iowa touting their rural policy proposals. Clinton has yet to release any specific policy proposals regarding agriculture or rural development.

Repeated requests for a response from the Clinton campaign were not answered.

Who Cares About Rural Folks?

2007-10-18T12:49:00.000-05:00

As we enter into the final phases of the presidential caucus campaign season in Iowa, the candidates have presented most of their big plans and policy proposals. Be it about health care, Iraq or education, most of the candidates have rolled out their big ideas.

I think any presidential candidate who hasn't presented a policy proposal for any particular issue by late October doesn't show much interest in that issue.

And I think rural/agricultural issues deserve a policy proposal by anyone seeking the votes of those of us who live in flyover country.

So who has presented their detailed plans for rural America?

I'm obviously mostly interested in the Democrats here, so I took a quick look at the websites of the six major Democratic candidates, and found only three of them had a detailed rural issues policy proposal. Those candidates are John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Barack Obama.

Read John Edwards' plan here.

Read Chris Dodd's plan here.

Read Barack Obama's plan here.

I have been told by the Bill Richardson campaign that his rural policy proposal will be released "soon" and I'm eager to see it. Hopefully Biden and Hillary will get something together soon. Waiting this long seems to give the impression that rural and agricultural issues are not a high priority of these candidates.

One of the main reasons I'd like to see these policy proposals soon is the fact that the 2007 Farm Bill is not yet completed. I want to see candidates take a position on some important issues before the Farm Bill is completed, that way we know where they stand if something important fails to make it through this year's Farm Bill.

If I missed one, please let me know. I'd love to see it.

Richardson Hunts for Votes in Southern Iowa

2007-10-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

Bill Richardson is a hunter, and he wants rural Democrats to know it.

He purposefully mentioned the fact that he is a hunter at least three times in the span of an hour during a campaign stop today in the small southern Iowa community of Albia. The New Mexico Governor and presidential candidate chatted and joked with a gathering of about 20 locals at Mom's Place, a cozy roadside cafe at the intersection of highways 34 and 5.

"I'm a hunter, by the way," said Richardson after answering an unrelated question. "I know a lot of you are hunters, so please support me. The NRA gave me an A+ rating."

While the right to bear arms is obviously not a burning issue in the minds of most Iowa Democratic caucus-goers, Richardson's record on the subject may well earn him the respect of rural Democrats in places like Albia and other small towns that are often ignored by presidential candidates. "You know, I get grief all over the country," he laughed. "Doesn't help me in the Democratic Primary, but hey, I'm a Westerner."

Albia Mayor Richard Clark, a Democrat who has been involved in local politics for many years, told Iowa Independent that it may, in fact, help Richardson in rural areas. "I feel like it is an important issue," said Clark. "I know there are people trying to do away with guns. But they're never going to be able to get all the guns away from criminals. I think he's right on that issue."
Clark said he hasn't picked a favorite candidate yet, but he liked just about everything Richardson had to say.

The early morning campaign stop in Monroe County marked the 88th Iowa county that Richardson has visited. "I've got 11 to go," he said. "And I'm going to go to all of them. I'm going to have meetings like this everywhere. There's no town that's too small."
He had traveled from Centerville, about 20 miles to the south, where he stayed the night in a small bed-and-breakfast. He was scheduled to follow Highway 34 east throughout the day Wednesday, stopping in Ottumwa, Fairfield, Mt. Pleasant and Burlington.

Richardson spent most of the time in Albia talking about his regular stump speech topics, emphasizing his plan to end the war in Iraq and move all U.S. troops out of that country. He stressed the need for a new direction in world diplomacy, and his experience as a United Nations ambassador and foreign affairs. "I believe in diplomacy," said Richardson. "And I don't believe this president has practiced diplomacy. It's important that we restore our standing in the world." He also spent a good deal of time talking about education and health care.

One of the local Democrats in attendance, Doran Haywood, liked what Richardson had to say. Haywood, who lives in the Monroe County town of Lovilia, pledged his support for Richardson. "I'm going to caucus for him," said Haywood. "Because of his all-around experience, as a congressman, a governor and an ambassador. And also because I'm a card-carrying union man of 50 years, and I like his stance on labor."

Richardson, using a warm self-deprecating sense of humor that has served him well in the campaign, said he doesn't have much money and he doesn't have much glamour, "but I have the experience to bring change."
"The good news is that Iowa decides. The good news is that the pundits and TV people don't decide."

Edwards In Albia

2007-10-08T12:13:00.001-05:00

John Edwards yesterday became the first major presidential candidate to come to Albia so far this year. We've had visits by the likes of John Cox and Tommy Thompson, but Sunday's visit by Edwards was the first big campaign event to grace our fair city all year.

Just over 100 people attended, which is a good crowd for political events in Albia.

Edwards was introduced by Monroe County Supervisor Denny Ryan. Denny has endorsed Edwards, and also supported him in 2004.

Edwards really didn't make any news in Albia, but I think he made some new friends. I heard a lot of very positive comments from people as folks were filing out of the building.
The event showed me that Edwards continues to have strong support in rural areas and small towns. This is the kind of support that can rack up a lot of delegates in the caucuses, something that many big city pundits don't really understand.

Grassley, Obama Team Up to Aid African American Farmers

2007-10-05T01:02:00.000-05:00

There aren't very many African-American farmers in Iowa.
Nonetheless, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is leading a call to help thousands of them in southern states who for years were discriminated against as they tried to participate in federal agriculture loan programs.
And Grassley, a Republican, has a key Democratic senator as an ally in his efforts: Barack Obama.
Grassley is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee that is slowly crafting its version of the 2007 Farm Bill, and he has called on committee leadership this week to include legislation in the bill that would help African-American farmers who were denied entry into the Pigford v. Glickman settlement.
That 1999 settlement ended a discrimination lawsuit between African-American farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But years later the issue is not resolved. As many as 22,000 farmers filed claims in the Pigford settlement, and about 15,000 of them received compensation. But Grassley stated that as many as 75,000 did not have their claims heard because of a filing deadline mistake. A September article in the Hill reported that about $730 million has been paid out in claims as a result of the Pigford settlement.
In a press release this week, Grassley said that black farmers in the South should get fair consideration of their case, "and up to this point, the Department of Agriculture hasn't allowed it to happen."
The farm bill passed by the House of Representatives in July includes a provision that would allow a new review to individuals whose Pigford settlement claims were denied. Grassley and Obama have been pushing for similar legislation in the Senate bill.
"I had hoped we could settle this without legislation, but enough is enough," said Grassley. "If we don't pass legislation thousands of victims of discrimination continue to be denied an opportunity to even have their claims heard."
Grassley and Obama's bill, named the Pigford Claims Remedy Act of 2007, is similar to the House-passed language introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio.
Grassley's letter this week to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and ranking member Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., states that there is "more than enough in funding to provide a robust legislative fix to the problems with the Pigford claims process."

Biden Calls For 16-Year Public Education System

2007-10-05T00:37:00.000-05:00

Sen. Joe Biden wants to transform American public education into a 16-year system, getting kids as young as 3 into 'head start" programs.

The Delaware Democrat and presidential candidate announced his education plan Thursday in Des Moines, then set out for two days of campaign stops in southeast Iowa.

Biden's proposal, which comes with a price tag of approximately $30 billion, would fund two full years of preschool for everyone and provide qualifying high school graduates funding to go to college for two years.

At a campaign event in Ottumwa Thursday evening, Biden chatted for 90 minutes with a crowd of about 40 people at the local United Auto Workers hall. He spent a good deal of that time talking about his education plan.

"We've got to start kids to school earlier," said Biden. "If we start kids in a quality preschool at age 3, they have a 25 percent better chance of graduating high school than if we start them at age 6. Teachers have known this for years. So I would invest in early education. I'd double enrollment in Early Headstart and quadruple Headstart."

The plan would also provide $5 billion in grants to states to expand public preschool programs, and would expand home visitation programs for new parents to provide guidance on health, nutrition and school readiness.

One of the key components of Biden's plan is what he calls Higher Education ACCESS for All. He said it would help pay $9,300 per year for two years of college for students from families making less than $50,000 per year. For more affluent families, it would provide refundable tax credits.

"Anybody coming of high school who qualifies for college should be able to go," he said, "and not be denied because they don't have the money. There were 400,000 kids [who] got admitted to college this year but couldn't afford to go. And we're competing around the world? Anybody think you're gonna make it in the year 2025 without a college education?" he asked. "Coming from a middle-class neighborhood? What do you think your prospects are? My generation, you could make it. But let me tell you somethin', baby, I wouldn't want to bet on it now."

The college portion of Biden's education plan alone would cost about $9 billion annually. But, Biden said, it's all about what you value. "We're spending $85 billion per year to give people making an average income of $1,430,000 a year a tax break. Now you tell me what you value. Did they need that? They didn't ask for it and it will not affect the economy at all if they don't have it. I'm not trying to punish them: I'm not one of these class guys, rich against poor. They just don't need it. For almost one-tenth of that amount, he said, his plan could guarantee that everyone in America who qualifies could afford to go to college.But for almost one tenth of that, I could guarantee every kid in America that qualifies could get to college."

Biden also would hire 100,000 new teachers in an effort to reduce class sizes to an average of 18 students per classroom. "The smaller the class, the better the outcome. You have 30 kids in a class, you could do better with 20. The only way to get smaller classes is to get more teachers." Biden calls for a grant program to provide $2 billion annually to assist school districts in providing incentives to attract new teachers.

Biden would also raise teacher pay with a series of incentives. "In the countries we're competing with, England, France, the Netherlands...they pay their teachers the same amount of money they pay a graduating engineer. My dad used to have an expression. He said, 'don't tell me what you value, show me your budget and I'll tell you what you value.'" Biden applies that lesson in his belief that if America values education, we must budget for it.

He said he would provide additional incentives to teachers who work in what he calls "high-need" schools and provide bonuses to teachers who agree to stay with those schools for five years. The plan also calls for supplementing the pay of teachers who achieve National Board Certification, as well as assisting teachers to pay off their student loans.

"The thing about this is it's doable. It's doable," said Biden. "The thing costs a lot of money, but it's doable." Biden's proposal can be viewed on his campaign website here.

Funding Package, Farm Bill Will Take Shape Soon, Harkin Says

2007-10-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

The Senate Agriculture Committee may begin markup of its 2007 Farm Bill this week.

The committee markup process, once complete, will result in the bill that will go to the Senate floor. Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who chairs the committee, told reporters Tuesday there is still hope for an agriculture committee markup of the bill in the next few days.

"The past week has seen some very good progress on the farm bill," said Harkin. "I've met with members of the committee four times in formal discussions, and we've had countless conversations with my colleagues individually. We're beginning to rally around a basic framework that makes sound investments in our national priorities, provides strong policy and moves our country forward."

The main hurdle the agriculture committee must overcome has been a lack of funds to pay for all the priorities of agriculture committee members. Harkin has plans for a variety of new programs, including a significant boost to environmental programs. He has been pushing the Senate Finance Committee to provide the additional revenue needed for these programs.

"These new investments will be supported by a variety of funding sources, one of which is the Senate finance tax package," said Harkin, explaining that he has been working with Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., to secure funds for the bill. "He's indicated the package in his committee will provide additional resources to help meet our farm bill funding shortfall."

Harkin said that a number of members of the agriculture committee do not want to act until the finance committee finalizes its funding package. The promise of the finance committee marking up its tax package this week fuels his optimism that the farm bill will come together quickly. "No one wants to move this farm bill more than I do, and I've been working every day to make that happen," he said.

But Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who serves on the agriculture committee and is the ranking Republican member of the finance committee, told reporters today that the finance committee's funding package "is still somewhat unsettled."

Grassley said the agriculture committee's markup, "since it's apt not to be this week," would be the week of Oct. 13.

New State Website Devoted to Soil, Water Conservation Programs

2007-09-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

There's a new online tool available for farmers who want to participate in soil and water conservation programs.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is urging Iowa farmers and landowners to take advantage of the new Financial and Reports Management System (FARMS) website.

In a press release, Northey said that the new website allows farmers to sign up for and manage their participation in conservation programs offered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. "This new web program is designed to make it easier for farmers to register and get conservation practices on the ground," said Northey. "There remains a great demand for filter strips, grass waterways and other projects that reduce runoff and improve water quality. This website will help farmers make sure those projects will happen."

The website will provide farmers and landowners plenty of information about state conservation programs, and allow them to apply online for assistance. Farmers who have participated in the past can monitor the status of their conservation project on the site.
Northey said the site is expected to speed processing of applications.

The Iowa Division of Soil Conservation, part of the state Agriculture Department, is responsible for programs that provide for the management of soil, water and mineral resources conservation.

Friday Farm News Roundup

2007-09-28T15:27:00.001-05:00

Almost 90 years ago, Congress passed the Packers and Stockyards Act with the intent to force competition in the livestock industry. The basic idea: competition in the industry results in fair markets for farmers. At that time there were five big meat-packers who dominated the markets and were accused of manipulating prices to the detriment of farmers. The act solved many of those problems, and farmers benefited from packers bidding against one another for their livestock. Now it's 2007, and competition in livestock markets is not what it used to be.
In an article in the Des Moines Register this week, Philip Brasher reported on efforts in Congress to add new competition provisions to the 2007 Farm Bill. Independent hog producers have long fought for new laws to weaken the power of large meat-packers in the marketplace. Many want an outright ban on meat-packer ownership of livestock, and are watching closely as the U.S. Senate prepares to write its version of the 2007 Farm Bill. They hope the Senate will insert such a ban in the bill.

Chris Peterson, the hog farmer Brasher mentioned in the story above, will be busy next week raising a stink in Pleasantville. Peterson is president of the Iowa Farmers Union, which is holding a forum on Oct. 1 with Peterson as the keynote speaker. Click here to get the Coalition for Iowa's Farmers' take on the forum.

Also in the Register this week, we learned of the passing of one of Iowa's great agriculture journalists of the 20th century. Don Muhm was the farm editor at the Register for more than 30 years, and had an enormous impact on agriculture in Iowa and beyond during that time.

As harvest comes into full swing in Iowa, extra caution is urged on Iowa's roads. Farm vehicles will be hauling in what is expected to be a record corn crop. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports on the situation.

Iowa State University's Bioeconomy Conference will be held Nov. 5 and 6. Wallaces Farmer reported that the keynote speaker will be Vinod Khosla, one of the world's leading proponents of renewable biofuels. Khosla is co-founder of Sun Microsystems and has invested in many renewable fuels operations around the world.

The Washington Post has a big story today on farm subsidies.

As ethanol usage grows, another alternative to petroleum is coming closer to viability. Bio-based butanol is being studied by DuPont and BP, as reported in the Des Moines Register.

Wallaces Farmer has a story about former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack taking a position with Iowa State University's Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products.

Brownfield Network is reporting this afternoon that soybean rust has been found in Iowa. Iowa State University has confirmed that a soybean sample taken from Dallas County has the disease. Soybean rust can often cause significant losses to crop yields, but it may be too late in the season for it to have caused much damage this year.

Food-Labeling Law Likely to be Included in Farm Bill

2007-09-28T11:09:00.000-05:00

It's still nearly impossible to guess what the 2007 Farm Bill will end up looking like. But it's now almost a certainty that a long-awaited mandatory country-of-origin labeling law for retail agricultural products will be implemented as part of the bill.

The country-of-origin labeling law -- known by the acronym "COOL" -- was passed in 2002 and signed by President Bush. It was never implemented, however, after being delayed numerous times in the last five years. Click here to read an Iowa Independent article in June that reported some of the history of the law.

As the U.S Senate Agriculture Committee prepares to write its version of the 2007 Farm Bill, likely as soon as next week, a large bipartisan group of senators are speaking out in favor of adding COOL legislation to the bill. Early this week, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., penned a letter to committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, urging the addition of the "COOL compromise." The bipartisan duo obtained the signatures of 29 other senators for the letter.

"This compromise, reached during consideration of the House-passed farm bill, may not be perfect," said Grassley in a conference call with ag reporters. "But we feel it is a workable and common-sense rule." He said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had failed for five years to get the law implemented, but noted Congress was also to blame for not providing adequate funding for the law. "Because of the inability for five years to get this under way, it's time for Congressional intervention to ensure the long-awaited implementation of mandatory COOL legislation."

The "compromise" on COOL was reached in the House Agriculture Committee and added to the House version of the Farm Bill passed in July.
"This consensus represents a reasonable compromise and finally clears the way to timely and reasonable implementation," said Grassley. "The problems and concerns created by USDA among producers, packers and retailers are alleviated in this compromise House language." Grassley explained that the compromise would establish three labeling options for meat. It would also allow ground meat to be labeled with a narrative list of countries of origin, but doesn't require percentages.

The National Farmers Union, which has been the leading organization pushing for implementation of mandatory COOL on agricultural products, has a comparison chart here, listing the differences between the compromise COOL language and the existing 2002 law. Under the compromise language, the law will mandate that all retail agricultural products -- everything from cherries and peanuts to hamburger and goat meat -- must be clearly labeled with country of origin.

Harkin, who has long supported mandatory COOL, told Iowa Independent in June that he would focus on keeping the law intact in the new farm bill. He was quoted this week by Brownfield Network as saying that he might tinker a bit with the House compromise COOL language in his bill, but said, "I want to make it very clear -- country-of-origin labeling will go into effect next year."
Any scenario that doesn't include COOL in the new farm bill is unlikely. Grassley and Johnson brought together some heavy-hitters as co-signers to their COOL letter, including all of the Democratic senators running for president. There weren't any Republican presidential candidates on the list, but counting Grassley, there were six Republican names. That's no small feat, considering the vehement opposition to mandatory COOL by many Republicans in the past five years.

"The usual opposition has been -- but no longer is -- everything outside the farm gate, between the farm gate and your mouth," said Grassley when asked who opposes mandatory COOL. "Processors, retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, slaughterhouses, the American Meat Institute, all of those things."

In a press release, Grassley notes that consumer polls have consistently shown widespread support for COOL. A poll conducted by the Consumers Union in July found 92 percent of respondents believed imported food products should be labeled with their country of origin. A Zogby poll in August found 95 percent believe consumers have a right to know the country of origin of the foods they purchase.

Hillary and That Uncomfortable Cackle

2007-09-27T11:02:00.000-05:00

Each of the presidential candidates have their own little idiosyncrasies. These personal peculiarities are magnified to us here in Iowa, as we see the candidates so often we get to the point where we can almost recite their stump speeches from memory.

Chris Dodd inserts the word "here" in the strangest places as he talks.

Joe Biden, when he wants to add emphasis to a certain point, often repeats the last few words of a sentence.

Bill Richardson doesn't always speak in complete sentences. He'll start talking about one subject only to go off on a tangent.

John Edwards does weird things with his tongue when he talks. And that drawl is a bit much, even for me, a guy from the sticks in southern Iowa.

These are all behaviors that have endearing qualities to them. It's just the way they are, and it's fine. We feel like we know them personally when we hear them talk.

But Hillary Clinton's phony cackle is different.

It's obvious that these laughing fits are not just part of the way she is. It's coached behavior, and she's not fooling very many of us. It's not endearing. It's actually sorta creepy.

FFA on the Rebound, but 'It's Not Your Father's Ag-Ed Program Anymore'

2007-09-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

Agricultural education is becoming a key factor in the success of Iowa students getting prepared to enter the work force.

The skills sought by employers in Iowa are changing rapidly as new job opportunities sprout up with the growing renewable fuels industry. And as those new opportunities arise, students in Iowa's schools are showing a growing interest in the study of agriculture.
One time-honored agricultural education program, Future Farmers of America, had seen its membership in Iowa drop to nearly 10,000 in the year 2000. But FFA has enjoyed somewhat of a rebirth around the state with more than 12,300 members this fall.

Iowa FFA Advisor Dale Gruis told Iowa Independent that it's a myth that kids aren't interested in agriculture. "The common belief among a lot of people is that these programs are kind of drying up. Which is not true," said Gruis. "While we may lose a chapter now and then because of school mergers, we also will see every now and then a new school that adds a program."
Gruis said that in order for FFA to remain a vital part of agricultural education, it must adapt to teach kids the skills they need in today's agriculture. "It's not your father's ag-ed program anymore," said Gruis. "The programs have changed over time. Programs may not be exactly how parents remember them from years ago. There's a lot more emphasis now on horticulture, biotechnology, science, all those things that are growing areas in agriculture today."

Gruis said kids are interested in the high-tech skills needed by agribusiness, but they're also very interested in learning about growing and marketing foods on a small-scale, local level. "And we know that there's probably a pretty significant number of FFA students that currently sell produce through farmers markets as an FFA project. There's a growing interest with students in the trend of trying to sell through farmers' markets. That's been an exciting trend, because I think most of us support the local foods initiatives."
While agricultural education programs are mostly located in small-town high schools, Gruis said that students in urban schools are now showing a lot of interest in horticulture and local food projects.

But it's large-scale production agriculture that has created the most demand for highly skilled young adults. Preparing kids to enter into agronomy or biology programs in college is going to be a key focus of agricultural education programs in Iowa high schools.
"Agriculture education is more important now than it ever has been," said Gruis. "The growing biofuels industry in Iowa, the whole desire to see Iowa grow in producing more biofuels -- it's definitely an area that makes sense to try and get more students involved in understanding agriculture. Especially the aspects of biology and the marketing of agricultural products."

"I spend a fair amount of my time talking to business and industry people, and they continually talk about the need for students that are interested in agriculture," said Gruis. "Iowa probably has a shrinking student population, especially the number of students that grow up on farms. But the demand for those students is growing."

A recent article in Iowa Farmer Today reported that there is an incredible demand for highly educated agronomists in Iowa and the rest of the Midwest. The article states that some agronomists with advanced degrees from Iowa State University are getting paid $80,000 or more as a starting salary.

Iowa FFA Foundation President Steve DeWitt told Iowa Independent that the jobs are here for students willing to learn the skills that are required.
"Production agriculture is of paramount importance to the economy of Iowa. And agriculture has huge demands right now for employees," said DeWitt. "Agribusiness represents more than 25 percent of all employment in the state of Iowa, so it's a significant contributor to our overall workforce. The needs of agribusiness are greater than they've ever been."
"Renewable fuels and all of the manufacturing facilities that are being built, they have great needs for employees with special training. A lot of the schools, Iowa community colleges, have started new programs to help educate new potential employees for those facilities."

One planned project that is on the drawing board may soon help educate Iowa's youth about agriculture. The Iowa FFA Enrichment Center is a multimillion-dollar learning institution that will be constructed near the Des Moines Area Community College campus in Ankeny.
The project, funded by the FFA Foundation, will be more than 75,000 square feet in size and will serve students and teachers in Iowa's agricultural education programs.

"The enrichment center is really devoted to helping students involved in FFA throughout Iowa take advantage of some new educational opportunities," said DeWitt. "It will be devoted to helping students and teachers become more proficient in the skills and opportunities in agribusiness today." Once completed, the Enrichment Center will feature greenhouses, computer and science labs and classrooms for special educational programs.

Iowa's Deer: Beautiful, Destructive and a Target of Growing Concern

2007-09-24T11:41:00.000-05:00

What is Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey most often asked about as he travels the state?
New opportunities in the renewable fuels industry? Iowa's water quality and how to improve it? The evils of factory farms? Nope, nope and nope.

Deer. It's all about those beautiful antlered critters that roam every nook and cranny of our state. Northey said that everywhere he goes, people are talking about the deer population, and more specifically, what can be done to control the damage caused by deer.

"It's the number-one subject I've been asked about in my town hall meetings all year so far," said Northey in an interview with Iowa Independent. Northey said he has visited more than 80 communities since taking office in January.

"We always get a lot of discussion about deer population," he said. "We're seeing a lot of private ground now where folks are not allowing hunting. There is a concern about that. Really, the biggest conversations at my town hall meetings are always about the number of deer. And it's certainly about crop damage from farmers, but it's also about accidents and the non-farm stuff too."

Northey said that deer have always caused a lot of damage to Iowa's traditional top crop -- corn. That's nothing new. But as many small farms operations experiment with new specialty fruits and vegetables, farmers raising those crops are finding a main concern is making sure their crops aren't munched by unwanted guests.
"In horticulture production, where two acres is their whole summer's work, it can get all destroyed in just a short while by some deer," said Northey. "Grape folks, orchard folks, if they're trying to plant an apple orchard or a vineyard, the number-one thing they've got to worry about is how to keep the deer out so that you can get your plants big enough so that they'll survive."

Throughout the last three decades, the whitetail deer population rose as the human population in rural Iowa declined. That growing population has caused problems throughout the state.
Crop damage is only a minor concern when compared to the danger posed by deer on Iowa's highways. There are regularly more than 7,000 animal-vehicle crashes on Iowa's roads each year. The Iowa Department of Transportation provided this link for statistics from 2001 to 2005. In addition to those statistics, the website www.deercrash.com has compiled data on Iowa traffic accidents involving deer, with a page of statistics for years 1993-2004.
An article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette recently reported that 2007 is already the deadliest year ever for motorcycle/deer accidents.

The overpopulation of deer in Iowa makes for some dangerous driving conditions, and it's obviously not good for deer that end up smashed on the roads.
Deer hunting, which is a big tourism draw for Iowa, is the most effective way to keep the deer population under control, according to Iowa Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Willie Suchy.

Over the past two years the Iowa Legislature and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have been trying to enact policies to bring the deer population in Iowa back to levels of the mid-1990s.

"The important thing is to try to increase hunting pressure and to kill enough antlerless deer," said Suchy. Antlerless deer are not prized by most hunters, who generally go out to the field seeking a trophy buck. "What we're doing is trying to increase the number of antlerless deer licenses in counties that have too many deer. We've increased that by about 13,000 last year to about 113,000 total. So we are focusing pressure on those counties that we have good data that says that deer numbers are higher than we'd like to see them."

Suchy said areas of the state where the deer population is too high are mostly in southern and eastern Iowa. "Deer numbers in northwest and north-central Iowa don't seem to be in too bad of shape. They're consistent with where they were 10 years ago, and that's about what we'd like to get things back to."

Getting a reliable estimate on the number of deer is not easy, and the DNR uses varying methods for conducting a deer census. "We don't have firm numbers. We are saying we have some 380,000 after last year's hunt. We'd like to see that get down to around 270,000."

For farmers who would like to get the deer population reduced in their neighborhoods, the DNR has a program to help connect them with hunters. "For individual farmers, we have depredation biologists who can work with them to get hunting pressure on their land," said Suchy. "And those biologists have lists of hunters who are willing to shoot antlerless deer."

These efforts appear to be working, said Suchy. "In southern Iowa, seeing what's happened over the last two years with the increased doe harvest, our survey numbers are leveling off and in some cases coming down. We are having successes."

For Northey, he's thinking outside the box. He has considered working with the DNR to organize a "big doe" contest in an effort to encourage even more hunters to harvest the less sought-after female deer.

Harkin Steak Fry: Photo Blog 2

2007-09-16T22:58:00.001-05:00

Former state representative and gubernatorial candidate Ed Fallon watches his favorite candidate, John Edwards,

This Edwards staffer dutifully wore a hot costume all afternoon.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy enjoy the day at the steak fry. Miller has endorsed Obama, and McCarthy has endorsed Biden.

Hillary Clinton gives her stump speech at the steak fry.

Chris Dodd discussed the finer foods available on a stick at the Iowa State Fair during his speech at the steak fry.

Head getting sunburned? A fashionable hat can be crafted out of an Obama sign and a few stickers.

John Edwards discusses his health care plan during his speech at the steak fry.

Joe Biden's "Ears of Experience" display.

Biden gives a sobering address on the realities of the situation in Iraq to close out the presidential candidate speeches.

An Uncle Sam costumed steak fry attendee supporting Edwards.

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and his wife, Christie.

Harkin and guests give a final bow for the crowd to close out the 2007 Harkin Steak Fry.

Harkin Steak Fry: Photo Blog

2007-09-16T22:32:00.000-05:00

Iowa Independent's John Deeth (wearing his trademark raspberry beret) gets the spin from Obama advisor David Axelrod.

The Obama crew marches to the Harkin Steak Fry, led by the drum corps the Isiserettes.

Iowa Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge welcomes the crowd early in the program at the steak fry.

Grandma Nancy and Aidan enjoy the beautiful weather at Aidan's first Harkin Steak Fry.

The catering crew worked over hot grills preparing the meals for over 12,000.

Iowa vocal talent Effie Burt passionately sings the Star Spangled Banner.

Ruth and Tom Harkin say hello to the record crowd at the Harkin Steak Fry.

Barack Obama takes to the mic to deliver the first speech of the six special guests.

Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin have a chat up on the stage.

Bill Richardson gives the second presidential candidate speech at the steak fry.

Albia Capitol for a Day

2007-09-05T18:25:00.001-05:00

Gov. Chet Culver proclaimed Albia as the state's Capitol for a Day today, with a big gathering of local local folks at the historic Monroe County Courthouse. Pictured above are myself and Aidan with the governor.

The event was a good chance for people to ask questions and visit with both the governor and my mom. I think some good ideas were presented, which will be taken back to Des Moines.

One of the main topics of discussion was the new Honey Creek resort lodge being built at Rathbun Lake.

Thanks to Robert Cunningham for taking the photo with my camera.

Power Fund Board Aims for Energy Independence

2007-09-05T11:13:00.000-05:00

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver announced the members of the Iowa Power Fund Board of Directors Tuesday in Des Moines. Culver also introduced Roya Stanley, Iowa's new director of the Office of Energy Independence.

The Power Fund and the Office of Energy Independence were created by the Iowa Legislature earlier this year to spur development of new energy technologies in Iowa and to develop and implement a plan for Iowa's independence from foreign sources of energy by 2025.

Stanley has been active for 25 years in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency. For the past seven years she has been employed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Co., as a liaison working with officials and agricultural leaders across the country. Before going to the NREL she spent 18 years in Des Moines, working for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and as the state Energy Bureau chief. During that time she led the development of state energy efficiency initiatives. She also worked to lay the groundwork for the development of a switchgrass research project.

In her new job Stanley's duties will be to coordinate administration of the $100 million Iowa Power Fund, coordinate existing state and federal energy policy programs, pursue new research investment funding from public and private sources and develop the plan for energy independence.

Stanley will work directly with the Iowa Power Fund Board of Directors. Public board members include chairman Fred S. Hubbell, of Des Moines; Lucy Norton, of Clive; Glenn Cannon, of Waverly; Peter Hemken, of Des Moines; Carrie LaSeur, of Mt. Vernon; Patricia Higby, of Cedar Falls; and Thomas Wind, of Fairfield. Also on the board will be Iowa Department of Economic Development director Mike Tramontina, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Rich Leopold, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.

Ex-officio non-voting members of the board include Sen. Roger Stewart, D-Preston; Sen. Hubert Houser, R-Carson; Rep. Nathan Reichert, D-Muscatine; Rep. Chuck Soderburg, R-LeMars; and representing Iowa's colleges and universities, Gregory Geoffroy, Kent Henning and Mary Jo Dolan.

Hubbell and Higby will also serve on a separate due-diligence committee that will monitor and review the projects. Other members of the due-diligence committee will be Franklin Codell, of West Des Moines; Vern Gebhart, of Marion; Floyd Barwig, of Ames; Ted Crosbie, of Ames; and William C. Hunter, of Coralville.

Albia to be Capitol for a Day on Wednesday

2007-09-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

Gov. Chet Culver will proclaim the Monroe County Courthouse as Iowa's "Capitol for a Day" tomorrow.
The governor and my mom (Albia is her hometown) will be at the courthouse from 1-2:30 p.m. to hold open office hours to visit with local folks.

I've heard that we'll have a special music presentation by local favorites, The Aloes.

Attended the Edwards Event in Chariton

2007-09-04T11:36:00.000-05:00

I drove over to Chariton yesterday for the John Edwards event. It was a beautiful evening, so they had the event out on the courthouse lawn instead of inside Bizzy's Ice Cream.

There was a bigger crowd there than I expected, and I saw a lot of familiar faces. I asked a few of the local people who I know, and they said this visit was the first of any of the top candidates to Chariton. It's kinda like Albia, where we've only been visited by Tommy Thompson and John Cox.

Edwards continues to show that he's running strong in these small towns in my neighborhood. After the event, I had the opportunity to ask Edwards about how he would change federal agriculture policies. Here's his answer:

"Lower payment limitations. Lower limits on subsidies. What I've proposed is $250,000. More money put into moving toward clean, renewable sources of energy. More effort, although there's been some good effort under Tom Harkin, more effort made to conserve the land...more conservation funding. And a lot of the programs for low income families are in the Farm Bill. And I would want to bolster those also."

Edwards' proposed Rural Recovery Act is the only one of its kind so far among the presidential candidates.

For all of the national pundits who are still surprised at how well Edwards is doing in Iowa -- that's part of it. He seems to grasp these rural issues and concepts better than the other Democrats, with the possible exception of Iowa's neighbor from Illinois, Barack Obama.

Will Record Rainfall Affect Record-Breaking Crop Predictions?

2007-08-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

As the wettest August in Iowa's history comes to an end, farmers are assessing the impact of the recent wild weather on their crops. In some areas of the state, powerful storms dumped more than a foot of rain in less than one week.

Despite some areas where crops were damaged by flooding and powerful winds, most of the corn and soybeans in Iowa are doing just fine. That's the assessment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agriculture Statistics Service report released this week, rating 70 percent of the corn in Iowa in good or excellent condition. The week before the flooding, 71 percent of the crops were called good or excellent.

One corn farmer, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, said Wednesday that "generally, the crops around the state look really good." But the full impact of unprecedented August rainfall is not fully known. "This August is the rainiest August ever in Iowa," he said in a telephone interview with Iowa Independent. "And it looks like we're seeing the third-most precipitation of any month ever in the state of Iowa since they've been keeping records, and we have about 1,600 months that we've been keeping records."

Average rainfall across the state for the month of August so far was 9.65 inches, far above the norm of about 4 inches, said Northey.
"We'll certainly have to wait and see for sure until harvest to see what the damage was," he said. "The visible damage was very localized. But I'm not sure we even know what the impact is to a crop in standing water this late in the season. We know early in the season how if you have standing water very long it'll kill the crop and you've got to re-plant. But this late in the season, it's hard to even know what happens. We'll probably see some stalk rot damage because of the high humidity and warm temperatures."
Some areas of the state, however, can expect to have huge, possibly record-breaking corn harvests. "We have some really good corn in northeast and east-central Iowa," said Northey. "The crop report in August suggested that we could have crop reporting districts over there, in about 10 counties, where they would average 200 bushel. We're not used to those numbers, and it will be interesting to see if that really happens. But as I talk to folks in that area, they are very pleased with their crop. They really feel like they've got a good crop coming."

The rains may have destroyed some crops, but probably saved others. "Although the rains were too much in some cases, they did stop some of the damage that was happening in western Iowa and southern Iowa, where they were really short of rain. In those cases, we were anticipating some losses because of the dry weather, both in corn and soybeans. So it kind of stopped some of that. I think in general we expect a really good crop coming."

The USDA reported in June that across the nation, farmers have planted an estimated 92.9 million acres in corn this year. Iowa leads the nation in acreage dedicated to corn production.
An August USDA crop report projects a whopping 13.1 billion bushels of corn will be harvested this year in the nation, and if that holds true, it will be the second-largest corn crop in history. The state of Iowa is expected to produce over 2.5 billion of those bushels of corn.

Leaked Harkin Farm Bill Document 'Just Ideas,' His Staff Says

2007-08-29T11:14:00.001-05:00

The Environmental Working Group has gotten its hands on what it says is a draft of Sen. Tom Harkin's proposals for the commodity title in the 2007 Farm Bill. But it's actually nothing more than a sheet of ideas for discussion, says Harkin's staff.
Harkin, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, has been keeping his cards close to his chest as his committee prepares to hold hearings next month to formally draft their version of the agriculture legislation. The Iowa Democrat has generally avoided specifics when openly discussing his plans for the bill, mostly emphasizing his strong commitment to expand the Conservation Security Program.
After obtaining the "leaked" proposal last week, the EWG distributed it widely. And EWG's Mulch blog criticized the plan as "basically a status-quo proposal, with many issues (like payment limits) not addressed."
But Kate Cyrul, Harkin's ag committee communications director, told Iowa Independent Tuesday that the EWG has it all wrong. "What EWG sent around is not the Harkin proposal," said Cyrul. "We shared a very brief explanation of what could be included in the commodity title with Dem staff of committee members and are in the process of meeting with some committee staff and with outside groups to discuss the counter-cyclical proposal in more detail. Just to emphasize, this is not legislative language, this is just ideas for staff of committee members to consider and respond to."
One of the key ideas presented in the document is the possible shift to a "revenue-based" system of counter-cyclical payments. The plan would base counter-cyclical commodity payments on commodity prices and crop yields, rather than just prices. The revenue-based approach has the endorsement of the National Corn Growers Association and has been pushed by Senate Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sherrod Brown of Ohio.
In the House version of the 2007 Farm Bill passed July 27, a revenue-based payment program was inserted as an optional, rather than mandatory, system for farmers to receive counter-cyclical payments.

Obama Has Ear to the Ground in Developing Rural Policy

2007-08-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

Presidential candidate Barack Obama is taking his sweet time as he develops a set of policies for rural America.
That's because the U.S. senator from Illinois is making time to listen to rural residents and agricultural experts instead of Washington lobbyists, says Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.

As Obama pursues the Democratic nomination for president, he and his campaign staff will continue collecting the ideas of rural Americans "to ensure that our campaign is listening to people's opinions before offering policy proposals," Vietor said. "After all, the last thing we need is another plan written by and for Washington that doesn't do enough to address the real issues Iowans confront in their daily lives."
One such venue was Obama's "rural summit" held last week in Tama, where approximately 350 people participated in breakout sessions on major issues facing rural America. At the end of each session, policy recommendations were presented to Obama by the group.

There was also an online component to the summit, where anyone could voice opinions and submit questions.

Vietor said that Obama will review all of the recommendations then release a rural plan this fall.

Obama has assembled a team of agriculture and rural economic development experts to help craft his rural policies. One is Neil Hamilton, director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University. In an interview with Iowa Independent, Hamilton said that the Tama summit was successful as a forum for collecting the opinions and concerns of rural residents.

"There were three different sessions at the summit, one on energy, one on rural development and quality of life, and one on agriculture," said Hamilton, pictured at right. "I sat in on the agricultural session and there was a lot of discussion on farm programs and farm program reform. There was discussion about issues of creating opportunity for beginning farmers, about what we can do to help support farmers with prices in the marketplace, and there was discussion about competition issues. We went through an exercise in which we had small groups that identified their top four or five ideas and then we put those on the board. The major issue that was discussed was related to farm programs and payment reform."

Hamilton said that improving conservation programs and strengthening enforcement of competition provisions in agriculture law were also hot topics at the summit.
Many of the topics that will become part of Obama's rural policy are being debated for the 2007 Farm Bill. Some may even be passed into law before the presidential election. But, as Hamilton observed, there's more to it than just getting initiatives passed in the farm bill. "Certainly the 2002 farm bill shows us, it's not what you get passed in the bill, but it's how it's actually implemented by the administration," Hamilton said. "From the position of being the president, Sen. Obama's hope is that if he's elected president he'll be able to put the people in place in the administration to actually implement the bill."

Hamilton recalled being with Sen. Tom Harkin "in a meeting a year and a half ago and we were talking about the 2007 farm bill and what ought to be in it, and his comment was: 'A good starting point would be to actually implement the things that passed in 2002 that we've never actually done yet.' And that's still true to some extent. A number of the ideas that are going to be key in the 2007 bill are not new ideas. They're things that people have been working on that haven't actually been implemented or adequately funded yet," said Hamilton.

Another of Obama's advisers is Gary Lamb (pictured below), a farmer from Chelsea who has long been an active advocate for agriculture.

"For about the last four presidential elections, I've been trying to meet with presidential candidates and encourage them to really take a serious look at the negative impact that's taking place out here in rural America," said Lamb. "Not just farmers leaving the land, but in all the communities, the businesses that are leaving. The institutions, the schools, small rural hospitals, fire departments, EMTs -- they're struggling to maintain their viability because they lack one vital resource: people. So I hadn't had too much luck in trying to encourage these presidential candidates to have a dialog, bring in some of the most knowledgeable, respected people and try to determine what we need to change in public policy for agriculture and rural America."

But Lamb said that Obama's approach has been quite different from most presidential candidates of today and in the past. "Most of them, it kinda goes in one ear and out the other. And I don't mind saying I was pleasantly surprised when Obama's rural outreach director called me and wanted to come up and talk to me. My first response was, well, just another presidential campaign that wants to pretend they're concerned about agriculture and rural America. You know, I've traveled and visited with lots of presidential candidates, and for the most part, their thoughts are focused on other questions. I've been trying to get presidential candidates to do something like this for the last four presidential elections. I've been to hundreds of meetings all across the country over the years, and I was impressed with the knowledge and experience and the concern of the people that participated in the summit in Tama."

Lamb is a veteran in the fight to improve policies affecting rural America. During his life he has made an unsuccessful run for Congress, worked as an agriculture liaison for Iowa Sen. Harkin, and served as president of the Iowa Farmers Union. "I became aware of influences in farm policy back in the early '80s, and I got involved because I began to recognize that public policy of any kind, including farm policy, doesn't set to right itself. Somebody or something influences it."
He wants to remind everyone about the farm crisis of the 1980s, and how we must all work to make sure that situation doesn't arise again. "I was convinced in the early '80s that we were headed for a train wreck. Our land was inflating in value and all of the so-called experts were telling us it was the 'Golden Era of Agriculture;' we were getting rich in our sleep because our rent was inflating. I began to stand up and publicly question this and asking what would happen if land values went down," said Lamb.

"I was told at that time by the president of the largest farm organization in our country, and I won't mention any names, but I asked him what would happen if land values went down. His response was, 'We don't need pessimists and negative thinkers in today's agriculture.' Well, my worst fear became reality a year or so later. Land values went down 60 percent and we were reminded rather painfully that agriculture is about much more than the farms that dot our countryside. We lost thousands of small businesses. The point I'm making is, this is more than just farmers and agriculture. The farm crisis rippled way beyond the farm gates."

Lamb said that reforming farm programs will be an important step to strengthen small family farms rather than large agribusinesses to ensure that such a crisis does not happen again. Farm payment limitations were the major issue discussed at the summit, he said. "We need some kind of reasonable payment limitations put on this thing. The House farm bill really didn't do that. When you have an atmosphere out there where 10 percent of the farmers get about 70 or 75 percent of the total subsidies, it's just a vicious cycle. They use those big subsidies to get even bigger and squeeze out the young farmer or small farmer."
"Now the argument has been made that rice and cotton farmers down South are opposed to payment limitations," said Lamb. "Now that's not exactly true. I've met with a lot of people from rice and cotton country, and they see a lot of the same thing that we see happening up here. And I'm fairly well convinced that if the formula for payment limitations would take into account the higher input costs for rice and cotton, they would support that. And of course there's entities out there like Riceland Foods in Arkansas that got $15.8 million in subsidies. They wouldn't be for that I suppose, but I'm convinced that the average rice and cotton farmer, if we were to give them a little higher payment limitation for the higher input cost, they would support it."

Obama has called for significant reforms in farm program payments. He has called for a cap of $250,000 as a payment limitation, and has worked for competition reforms in agriculture. The next step for the campaign will be to continue collecting the opinions of rural residents before finalizing a rural policy that will be released early this fall.

Albia Restoration Days

2007-08-23T10:59:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, head over to Albia for our annual Restoration Days celebration.

Restoration Days are a time for people of Albia and Monroe County to celebrate our community's beautifully restored Victorian-era town square. Albia has one of the most historically intact town squares of any town in the Midwest.

Anyway, click the photo above to see a full-size schedule of events.

Mudcat Saunders: John Edwards is Plum Fed Up

2007-08-17T11:47:00.000-05:00

John Edwards has an ace up his sleeve in the fight to win the support of rural Iowans.
Edwards' political adviser Dave "Mudcat" Saunders has a record of turning red counties blue in Virginia, and is now working his mojo on Iowa's rural Democratic caucus-goers.

Saunders, who co-authored the book "Foxes in the Henhouse -- How the Republicans Stole the South and the Heartland and What the Democrats Must Do to Run 'Em Out," spoke with Smoky Hollow on Wednesday and discussed Edwards' strategy to win rural Iowa in the 2008 caucuses.

Saunders talks in a slow, southern Appalachian drawl and freely uses blunt language. His basic theory is that if Democrats would stop ignoring rural voters and work hard for the rural vote, it would pay off on Election Day.

"Inside every rural Republican is a Democrat trying to get out," said Saunders. "But they're not going to come with us if we don't invite them. Iowa, and the rest of the heartland in presidential campaigns, it's much like the South. When John Kerry ran for president and conceded 227 electoral votes before Election Day, that's a strategy of fools. And I think John Edwards is the only candidate that doesn't have to go with that 20- or 21-state strategy to win the thing. If John Edwards is the nominee, in my state of Virginia, we'll win it. We'll win in North Carolina. We will win Iowa. And you're going to see a bunch of red states turn blue. And it's time."

A native of Roanoke, Va. who has dabbled in real estate development and sports writing, Saunders' first major victory as a political consultant was with the 2001 Virginia gubernatorial campaign of Mark Warner. He explained that the Warner campaign didn't just use the traditional Democratic urban campaign strategy. By hammering away on economic issues in rural areas, rural voters came to Warner's side. "We had to win rural Virginia in that particular race, and we ended up taking our message to rural Virginia concerning economic fairness or the lack thereof," he said. "And we ended up getting something like 51.7 percent of the rural vote in Virginia, just by going out and talking to people. And understanding the culture and the power of the culture."

Warner was the first Democrat to win a majority of the Virginia rural vote in a generation. "People ask me all the time, How'd y'all do that?" It's all about understanding and respecting the rural culture. The same strategy can apply to Iowa, he said. "There's not 50 cents difference between a Bubba in rural Iowa and a Bubba in rural Virginia. I mean, Bubba is Bubba."

Saunders drives straight to the point on economic fairness as the centerpiece of a rural strategy, and he rails against the corporate powers that have squeezed family farms out of business. He said that John Edwards' passion for fighting for economic fairness is what brought him to the campaign. And the big-business influence is not only controlling the Republicans, but also many Democrats. "One of our opponents, obviously, has very close ties with Tyson," said Saunders. "And to me, it's disingenuous for this candidate to come out to rural America anywhere. Obviously, I'm talking about Hillary. You know, it's common knowledge inside the beltway, everybody knows it, that if the Clintons would have gone to bat for universal health care like they did for the trade treaties, we'd now have universal health care."
Asked if he believes that the Edwards campaign can defeat a candidate with the strength of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, he replied, "Oh, they're strong. They got corporate America behind 'em. I mean, look at Fortune Magazine. When Fortune Magazine puts her on the cover and says she's Wall Street's choice, that oughta tell Iowa caucus-goers something."

Saunders has been crisscrossing Iowa over the last three weeks, organizing caucus supporters for Edwards, and he says he is surprised at what he's seen in Iowa's rural areas.
"I thought that we were getting screwed in the southern Appalachians, with our loss of textiles and furniture jobs. You know, with these ridiculous trade treaties. But as I look at rural Iowa, I've never seen people screwed like these people have been screwed out here. For instance, in 1978 there were 60,000 family hog farms in Iowa. Today there's less than 9,000. And we all know the reason for that, it's because of corporate control of Washington. The family farmer has just flat been run out of business, and that's the bottom line. And with the family farmer goes the American dream for his kids, local economies are wrecked, like our local economies are wrecked in the southern Appalachians. Like many of the local economies in rural Iowa are wrecked by this vertical integration in the agricultural industry. And John Edwards is going to stop it. And you know, that's why I'm with him. He's already called for the moratorium on CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) and we're for a packer ban (on ownership of livestock). That's what we're for. And I think, you know, the ethanol push on corn is wonderful, and you know it's going to be a great boon for Iowa, and I think that's great, but there's still the food considerations. And the lifestyle considerations of the family farm. And our culture is going away, the culture of rural America, because our kids are leaving. And the Pied Piper of greed is the one who's calling them. And that's why I'm with Edwards, cause we're gonna fight these guys."

Washington lobbyists and the influence of money in politics is a particular sore spot for Saunders. "We've got to get money out of Washington," he said. "My candidate, John Edwards, supports publicly financed campaigns. When I first went to Washington and went to work for John Edwards in December of 2001, I think there were something like 13 or 14,000 federal lobbyists. Today there's over 35,000. And I can promise rural Iowans, nobody's up there lobbying for them. And we've got to stop it. And the only way to stop it is to get these bastards out of government. And the only way to do it is to go with publicly financed campaigns."

Edwards is still running strong in the polls in Iowa, but he trails Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in nationwide polls. But Saunders said that the Edwards campaign will get its message out, and its the message and the issues that will win the nomination.

"If we get the word out properly and start talking about economic fairness in the terms which we're doing, in which the average person can understand, we'll win," he said. "Rural Americans are proud people. You can talk about poverty. And John understands this better than anybody. Think of a guy whose farm has just been foreclosed on and he's lost his health insurance and his wife's lost her job. He's sick, and both his kids have left home because they couldn't find a job. Now you ask him if he's living in poverty, and he'll say 'hell, no, you know, I'm having some rough times, but I'm not living in poverty.' But you ask him if he's getting screwed, he's gonna say, 'hell, yeah.' Basically what we're gonna tell them is the truth. Those people that've been screwing you, we're gonna screw them. That's our message, we're gonna get after 'em. John Edwards is right where Mudcat is. He's plum fed up with this stuff. He's going to go all across the state and this thing's going to heat up until caucus night, whether it's Jan. 7 or the Monday night after next. Until that point in time, we're going to be spreading that message."

Wind Power Captured at the Fair

2007-08-15T12:26:00.000-05:00

Visitors to the Iowa State Fair this year will no doubt see the new wind turbine spinning high above the highest hill at the fairgrounds.

The working wind turbine is a new addition to the fair this year, standing 133 feet above the fairgrounds and capable of generating .5 megawatts of electricity. The structure was built by MidAmerican Energy, the current leader in wind power production in Iowa.
While the turbine is producing power at the fair, it's also sending a message to visitors from out-of-state that Iowa is serious about renewable energy. The turbine was dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday with Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, who said that as people from all around the globe descend upon Des Moines to enjoy the fair, "they are able to see one more reason why Iowa is great -- renewable energy."
Culver noted the fact that in the past two years, three of the five major wind energy manufacturers, Acciona, Siemens, and Clipper, have chosen Iowa as the place to establish their North American production facilities.
There are currently more than 1,000 wind turbines in operation in Iowa, capable of producing more than 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 250,000 homes, Culver said.
The new MidAmerican Energy wind turbine at the Iowa State Fairgrounds was dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the fair on Tuesday. Pictured are, from left, MidAmerican president Greg Abel, Iowa State Fair manager Gary Slater, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and Lt. Gov. Patty Judge.

The wind turbine at the fair begins producing electricity any time the wind starts blowing at 11 miles per hour or more. It attains maximum power output when the wind speed hits 34 mph.
The tower itself stands 133 feet above the ground, and each of its three rotor blades are 64 feet long.

Huckabee on Farm Policy: Subsidies 'Not About Farmers' but Cost of What's in Your Grocery Cart

2007-08-13T11:01:00.000-05:00

Mike Huckabee is just as comfortable chatting about agriculture as he is about the Fair Tax.

As the former governor of Arkansas was busy campaigning in Des Moines Friday in the closing hours before the Ames Straw Poll, he stopped for a few moments to talk farm policy with Iowa Independent.

The Republican candidate has a keen interest in the issues involved with agriculture and the 2007 Farm Bill, and he provided a fresh and different perspective on farm subsidies than other candidates in the race.

"A lot of people in urban areas don't understand," said Huckabee. "The farm subsidies are not about the farmers. They're about the consumers. It's about making sure the farm prices are stable enough and substantial enough, so that the cost of what comes to our table remains what it is."

The average family in America only spends 9 or 10 percent of its annual budget to purchase food, he said, and if it were to become more than that, it would bring drastic harm to the economy. To put it simply, that's money we wouldn't have to spend for other products and services.

"What it would mean is we would be just driving our whole economy down and changing the base of the economy," he said.

Huckabee said the stability in the farm markets provided by farm programs help to "give us the level of freedom and health that we enjoy in this nation.
He told Iowa Independent and echoed in his speech at the Ames Straw Poll that he is concerned about maintaining that stability in an increasingly globalized food marketplace.

"What worries me is that we are moving rapidly toward this concept of letting foreign importers bring more and more food in. I have a problem with the safety and quality of that food. And I also have a problem with the possibility that that food isn't produced in the same kind of standards that ours is, and that it begins to change our marketplace. I've said to many people, if you think that we have a problem with foreign oil, wait till we depend upon foreign food. That should never happen in this country. We've got to feed ourselves and fuel ourselves and fight for ourselves to be free."

One issue that has been a hot topic in Congress in the midst of writing the 2007 Farm Bill is mandatory country-of-origin labeling for food products.
Asked if he supports full implementation of the country-of-origin law, he answered quickly, "I do."

Mandatory country-of-origin labeling for retail food products was passed by Congress in 2002 but was never implemented. A provision to implement the law was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 27, but special interest groups are continuing to work toward weakening the law.

"I want to know where this food comes from," said Huckabee. "I have a lot more confidence in catfish farmers in Arkansas than I do in the Vietnamese who are selling me something that they're saying is catfish when it isn't. I have more confidence in our rice farmers in Arkansas and in your corn farmers than I do in somebody who is producing food in a foreign country. I don't know what kind of conditions, I don't know what issues they're dealing with, with pesticides and herbicides. I have no idea, and, frankly, their government probably doesn't either and probably doesn't care as long as they're shipping it out."

Huckabee said he was pleased with most of what he's seen going into the 2007 farm bill so far, particularly in the areas of health and nutrition.
"I like the fact that we're putting some more money into fruits and vegetables. That's something I think we need to do, to encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly among kids."

Day Two at the Iowa State Fair

2007-08-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

11:22 a.m.
I'm here at the fair and will be doing stories again for Iowa Independent. Expect lighter updates today, lots going on and not as much time to get in here to the crowded media center to get online.

I've seen John Cox and Mike Huckabee so far, and I snapped photos for use later in a story for Iowa Independent. Mike Huckabee has drawn the largest crowd yet, with a big crush of media following him around. I am going to make a prediction right now, Mike Huckabee is going to exceed all expectations at the Iowa Straw Poll tomorrow.

Oh, and he said he would not be eating any corn dogs, due to his diet. He will look for something that is mostly protein, like a pork chop or something like that.

So far I have eaten a pecan caramel roll and a milk from the awesome stand across the street from the Livestock Pavilion. Year after year, this is my absolute favorite thing to eat at the fair.

Live From the Iowa State Fair

2007-08-09T11:22:00.000-05:00

I arrived today at about 9:30 this morning for a two-day tour of the Iowa State Fair. I'm going to try to do a whole bunch of updates to this post, so I don't have a long list of separate posts. I'll treat it like a kind of intermittent liveblog. I'm also going to be doing a bunch of stories for Iowa Independent.

So far I have eaten one corndog (from the stand right behind the DM Register's building.) and had one small root beer (from the stand next door).

11:26 a.m.
I just watched Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul at the Register's Soapbox. I spoke with both of them, and will be writing stories about it for Iowa Independent. Now I am sitting at the Iowa Telecom Technology Park, under a nice shade tree. Somewhere in the distance, I hear "Big Balls" by AC/DC.

Here are some photos I snapped of Ron Paul (above) and Duncan Hunter (below).
Newt Gingrich is wandering around here somewhere.
12:21 p.m.
Started south on my way to the 4-H Building, and ran into Gary Belzer, of Albia. Had a nice chat. Also ran into Mark Pearson of WHO Radio's The Big Show. He's an important voice in the world of agriculture, for his work on The Big Show and also on his public television show Market to Market. I introduced myself, and had a nice conversation.
The crowd is pretty big as far as I can tell, especially for mid-day on opening day of the fair. Usually the biggest crowds are on the weekends, but it's already kinda tricky getting from place to place.

I drank a Pepsi at the 4-H Building.

2:13 p.m.
I spent quite a bit of time walking around up by the new Knapp Animal Learning Center. I'll have a story all about it for a post later today on Iowa Independent. It's quite an impressive facility, and it's only partially completed. I understand construction of the building was finished only very recently. Nevertheless, it's definitely one of the major new attractions at the fair.

On the way back to the media center (I had to come in here because the laptop battery is dying) I ate an order of cheese curds:

4:06 p.m.
Okay, I just got done following Sam Brownback around. He's still out there enjoying himself at the fair, probably still munching on a pork-chop-on-a-stick. Here's a pair of photos:

Brownback speaks the language of Iowa State Fair-goers better than the other candidates who have visited today. He had the full media treatment as well, with a bunch of TV cameras and reporters following him around, unlike Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul. Brownback struck up a nice conversation with a guy waiting in line for the pork chops.
Little-known Republican candidate John Cox is also out and about right now at the fair. I'll see if I can run into him next time I go out.

I drank two glasses of lemonade, one from a stand by the Varied Industries Building, and one from a stand near Ye Old Mill. And after watching Brownback eat that pork chop, I couldn't resist and had to get one for myself. It was absolutely wonderful.

5:39 p.m.
Just got a couple of stories posted over on Iowa Independent. Check em out if you get the chance.

Took a nice break and sat in the shade for a while by the Bill Riley stage. I was amazed to see five 9-to-10 year old girls dancing on the stage to Motley Crue's "Girls Girls Girls." I wonder if those girls' parent know what that song is about?

Food Update: I ate a dozen of those miniature donuts from the St. John's Basilica Catholic Church food stand over by the ag implement displays. And a glass of iced tea.

Here's the Channel 13 "Cast Your Kernel" poll total so far:

6:21 p.m.
Just took a walk through the midway, and over by the Ye Old Mill again. I had intended to go down by the Livestock Pavilion and then go up the hill, but I was drawn by a trio of street drummers, making some glorious and amazing music using only water bottles, wooden stools and kitchen pans. Then I went over to the Steer 'N' Stein and got a $5 plastic glass of Budweiser. Then I decided to sit in the shade again for a little bit. Hillary is way ahead now on the kernel count, followed by Edwards. Romney's winning on the Republican side.

7:52 p.m.
Went and met up with my mom, dad and nieces for a little while. They were going to eat supper, so I went with them. We went to the Cattlemen's Beef Quarters, where I ate a hot beef sundae (mashed potatoes covered with roast beef and gravy, with shredded cheese and a cherry tomato on top). Washed it down with an iced tea. On the way back here to the media center I got a root beer from the A&W stand by the Beef Quarters.

Going to probably sign off for tonight. The media center closes at 8 p.m., and I don't have any battery power left. I'll be posting more tomorrow, so be sure to come back!

State Patrol Rolls Out First Flex-Fuel Vehicles

2007-08-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

State Troopers are now patrolling Iowa's highways in flex-fuel vehicles.
In a press conference Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver announced that the Iowa State Patrol has received its first order of 10 E-85-compatible patrol cars.
The vehicles are built specifically to be able to burn an 85-percent ethanol fuel blend.
Culver said the state patrol has another 119 flex-fuel patrol cars on order, and from this year forward all of the cruisers purchased by the state patrol will be E-85 compatible.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver speaks at a press conference Tuesday at the state capitol to announce the new flex-fuel vehicles purchased by the Iowa State Patrol. Pictured are, from left, Iowa State Patrol Col. Robert Garrison, Culver, Iowa Corn Growers Association CEO Craig Floss and Iowa Commissioner of Public Safety Gene Meyer.
"We are the nation's biofuels production leader, and now we must be the leader in biofuels use as well," said Culver. "And that work begins here in state government. There is no more visible or widely-known symbol of state government in our communities and on our highways than an Iowa State Patrol car."
Culver said that in three years, the entire state patrol fleet will consist of flex-fuel patrol cruisers.
Two months ago, Culver signed an executive order stating that 60 percent of the entire state government fleet would be flex-fuel vehicles by 2009.

Is Ron Paul Magneto in Disguise?

2007-08-07T12:11:00.001-05:00

I'm probably not the first to notice this, but I haven't seen any speculation out there. Ron Paul looks an awful lot like Ian McKellen. Part the hair a little differently, and he's a dead ringer for Magneto. I'm sure if you stuck him in a fake beard and a pointy gray hat, he'd look like Gandalf.

Iowa Republicans Making a Mistake by Ignoring Tommy Thompson

2007-08-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

Republican presidential candidate Tommy Thompson can't seem to catch a break.

The former Wisconsin governor has seemingly done everything right in his quest to win the Iowa caucuses, yet his campaign hasn't seemed to gain any momentum. Why Iowa Republicans continue to pass him by is a mystery.

He can put his credentials up against anybody else in the race. As a three-term governor of Iowa's neighbor to the northeast, Thompson was able to lead successfully in a state that didn't always match his political ideology.

He reformed welfare systems during that time, and he did it in a way that pleased both sides of the aisle. He said his efforts reduced the Wisconsin welfare caseload by 93 percent, and those welfare reforms became the model for change across the country throughout the 1990s.

Thompson also has just enough experience in the federal government to count as a big feather in his cap, but not too much time -- not enough to make him a Washington insider. He served as secretary of Health and Human Services during the first term of President George W. Bush, though he should gain a few extra points for getting out of the Bush administration at the end of that first term.

Thompson has logged more miles on Iowa highways and visited more Iowa towns than any candidate in the race, Republican or Democrat. This kind of traditional politicking ought to be making a difference, as Republicans jockey for position in a wide-open field. But when Thompson's bus rolled into the small town of Albia a few days ago, a grand total of 13 locals showed up -- and that's counting me.

Thompson gave a passionate pitch for the support of the few Republicans at the event.
He hit all of the crucial Republican notes -- he's pro-life and always has been, he's tough on immigration, and he's used his veto pen more than 1,900 time to keep taxes low in Wisconsin. Oh, and he's a farmer.

On the surface, he seems like a fantastic candidate for the Republicans, especially those Republicans reportedly dissatisfied with their current top-tier options.
Thompson is good at working a crowd, and those Midwestern credentials ought to be worth something in the minds of Iowa Republican caucus voters. Sure, he may not be as charismatic as Mitt Romney, or as famous as Rudy Giuliani, but he shows the executive branch qualities that make a good Republican presidential candidate.

But it's make-or-break time for the Tommy Thompson campaign, and he knows it. He has put all his chips in to make a splash at the Republican Straw Poll on Aug. 11. At each of the more than 100 stops on his current bus tour, he's offering people free transportation and tickets. If he doesn't do well in the straw poll, he's done.

Republicans would do themselves a favor by giving him a look before the straw poll.

Harkin Takes the Reins as Farm Bill Focus Shifts to Senate

2007-08-02T16:46:00.000-05:00

Though the U.S. Senate's agriculture committee won't take up the 2007 Farm Bill until September, committee Chairman Tom Harkin has been quite vocal that the Senate's version will be different from the bill passed last Friday by the House of Representatives.

The Iowa Democrat, who also chaired the Senate ag committee in 2002 when the existing farm legislation was forged, may unveil some parts of his proposed bill as early as next week, reports Peter Shinn in an article on Brownfield Network. Harkin has said he wants lower limits on farm program payments than allowed in the House bill.

The House passed restrictions of payments only to individuals making less than $1 million annually in adjusted gross income. "I don't know where we're going to come in on that," Harkin told Shinn. "But it's going to be tougher than the House."

A new "competition title" in the farm bill also will be an item to watch. The Senate bill is expected to include a new provision to enhance competition in livestock markets to improve livestock producers' ability to receive fair prices for their animals. Rep. Leonard Boswell, an Iowa Democrat who served as chairman of the House subcommittee on livestock, dairy and poultry, had submitted a competition provision in the House bill, but it was removed before the bill went to the floor.

National Farmers Union President Tom Buis said in a press release this week that he hopes to see these needed competition reforms, such as a ban on meat-packer ownership of livestock, included in the Senate bill. Buis also is hopeful that resources will be found for a permanent disaster program when the Senate Agriculture Committee takes up the farm bill in September.

On the other side of the ideological spectrum, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is watching the bill closely.

Iowa Independent visited on Wednesday with Mark Salvador, national policy adviser for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, who said that members are pleased with the House bill. "While Farm Bureau members certainly do support strong conservation programs, a strong energy title in the farm bill, and rural development initiatives, we have asked Congress to be diligent in considering the needs of rural America as a whole, and not focus too heavily on any one particular field that ultimately may result in a bill to the detriment of the whole agricultural community," said Salvador.

He expects the Senate bill to shift to more of an emphasis on conservation programs. "We expect Sen. Harkin's bill to include a new comprehensive stewardship incentive program, which is, as I understand it, a melding of the current Conservation Security Program and the current Environmental Quality Incentives Program," he said. "I expect Sen. Harkin's bill will put pretty heavy emphasis on the conservation title and stewardship practices, maybe more so than the House bill did."

He also expects the Senates' version to include a competition title like the one Boswell introduced in the House, which will have Farm Bureau's support in the Senate.

Another item to watch closely in the Senate debate is mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for food products. Enacting the COOL program has been one of the main efforts of the National Farmers Union. The House bill included a provision to enact mandatory COOL by September 2008 for all meats, fruits and vegetables sold in retail markets in the United States. COOL has had many opponents, but all signs are pointing to the provision passing through the Senate and being enacted on schedule.

The ag legislation is not likely to make it to the Senate floor before mid-September, which may be a difficult time to work on the legislation because that is when a major report on the war in Iraq is due to be discussed in Congress.

Romney Robo Poll?

2007-07-30T22:21:00.000-05:00

This evening I received a very strange telephone call.

I answered the phone and was greeted by a kind voice, but I immediately got that familiar "eh, robo call" feeling.

Yep, after a few seconds I began to realize I was listening to a recorded message. Or was I? This was very well done, like no robo call I'd ever heard. Being the political junkie that I am, I listened. I can't remember all of it, but here's what I caught:

It was from....Romney? Why would Mitt Romney be calling me?

Then...did this voice just ask me a question?...Are you a registered Iowa voter? Uh..yes. (great, robo calls are asking us questions now!)

A brief pause, and the voice continued. Are you planning to vote in the Iowa Caucuses? Yes, I answered.

Are you a registered Republican? No.

Are you supporting Mitt Romney? No.

Thank you for participating, and we hope we can count on you to support Mitt Romney blah blah blah.

Weird!

Obama Crafting a Rural Agenda

2007-07-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

Barack Obama wants to hear about the concerns of rural Americans.

During a campaign event in Iowa today, the Illinois Democrat announced the creation of an advisory committee that will collect input from rural residents and work with his presidential campaign to craft an agenda to tackle rural issues.

"It's time to make America's rural agenda America's agenda," Obama said. "It's time we had a government that understood that it's the Department of Agriculture, not the Department of Agribusiness.'"

This rural advisory committee includes some heavy-hitters in the realm of agriculture, like Mike Dunn of Keokuk, the former Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs who served during the Clinton administration.
Iowa Independent asked Dunn why he's chosen to work with Sen. Obama. "Last Thanksgiving, as I was visiting with my four sons, I asked them what they thought about the presidential candidates, which ones they liked. They all said Obama. They all said we need a new face, somebody that offers hope, that represents their generation," said Dunn. "And so we have this new leader in Obama, offering hope, not only for America but for the world." Dunn said he has been impressed with Obama's willingness to listen, to bring people together to help create policies for positive change.

Obama's other rural advisors include Gary Lamb, a former president of the Iowa Farmers Union who has also served as chairman of the Iowa state committee of the Farm Service Agency and as an agricultural liaison for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
Neil Hamilton will also be involved. He's the director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University.
"These are some of the top agricultural experts in the country," said Obama, "And so I'm really honored for them to be involved the way they are."

Obama used the idyllic rural landscape of a farm on the outskirts of Adel to announce that his rural advisory committee will be traveling Iowa in the next few weeks to visit with rural residents. The ideas that they collect will be brought together in August, when Obama will host a rural summit on quality of life, agriculture and renewable energy.

During the event, Obama discussed the important agriculture legislation that had passed the U.S. House of Representatives just a few hours earlier. "The farm bill that's before Congress now, that just passed out of the House today, offers a real opportunity to make sure our government is serving family farmers and rural communities across the board and not just serving a few."

Obama said that the Senate version of the farm bill will not entirely copy the House bill, and he noted that it will likely put more emphasis on conservation and nutrition. "And it's probably going to be more aggressive in terms of making sure that subsidies are going to people who really need them, as opposed to the folks who've got the most clout in Washington," he said.
Obama noted that over the past decade, more than $1.3 billion in farm program funds have gone to people who are not even farmers, and that must change, he said. "We've even got farm money going to Fortune 500 companies."
"I know that a lot of you may be a little bit cynical about this whole process, because every few years you get politicians out here making promises about how things are going to change in Washington. But I come from a farm state, and I think it's very clear that I've got a record for battling on behalf of you." Obama touted his work with Harkin on the Biofuels Security Act to dramatically increase accessibility of biofuels in the nation's fuel supply.

"As President, I'll keep on fighting for a rural agenda. I'll enforce our trade agreements, and fight to make sure our farm programs help the family farmer who needs them," he said.
Universal health care will also play a part in strengthening rural communities, he said. "I remember the first trip I took to a farm, and discovered that many of the women in farming communities were working just to make sure that they had health insurance for their family. The cost of health care shouldn't lead to a bankruptcy and cause people to shut down their farms."

Obama spent much of the event taking questions and comments from the crowd of about 200, and then went on to Winterset for another campaign rally.

House Farm Bill Passes

2007-07-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

The U.S. House of Representatives passed its 2007 Farm Bill on Friday.

The bill passed on a vote of 231-191, despite strong Republican opposition to a provision to fund the bill by closing a tax loophole that has been exploited by multi-national corporations.

The U.S. Senate ag committee is expected to begin writing its version of the farm bill in early September, under the chairmanship of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

Kind's Farm Bill Amendment Fails

2007-07-26T22:29:00.000-05:00

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected an amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill Thursday that would have eliminated many traditional farm subsidies.

The Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment, submitted by Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin, failed on a vote of 117-309.

All of Iowa's delegation in the House, consisting of Democrats and two Republicans, voted against the Kind amendment.

Democratic Presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich also voted no, but two other members of Congress seeking the Presidency approved of the measure --Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., did not vote.

Click here for the vote tally.

The House did not complete debate on the farm bill Thursday, and will reconvene on Friday morning to finish with the submitted amendments and hold a final vote.

Republicans rallied against the bill throughout Thursday's debate, accusing Democrats of attempting to pay for the bill with an unsuspected tax increase. Democrats argued that they are simply calling for the closing of a tax loophole that has allowed multi-national corporations to shelter themselves from taxes by locating their headquarters on Caribbean islands.

Time to Stop Fiddling with the Farm Bill

2007-07-26T11:07:00.000-05:00

[Commentary] The U.S. House of Representatives should move quickly today and pass the 2007 Farm Bill without fiddling around with a bunch of amendments. It would be good for Iowa.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson has worked tirelessly for months to forge a series of fragile compromises in writing the legislation. He has done what few expected could be done. Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat from a district not altogether different from Iowa, has put together a bill that has received the blessing of organizations spanning the ideological spectrum -- from the progressive National Farmers Union to the powerful American Farm Bureau Federation.

Iowans had their hand in crafting the bill as well, with Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Leonard Boswell and conservative firebrand Republican Rep. Steve King serving on the ag committee. Both Boswell and King played important roles behind the scenes in moving the bill through the committee.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will push for passage on the House floor today, but the clamour of attacks against the bill grows louder by the hour.

Following a national press conference with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns on Wednesday, Republicans who had supported the bill have begun to split over a financing issue. Those Republicans turning against the bill include none other than Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the senior Republican on the ag committee who stood beside Peterson on Tuesday singing the bill's praises.

The Republicans are taking issue with a proposal to fund part of the bill with a tax on foreign businesses that operate in the United States. Republicans may just be playing games, however, taking advantage of the lack of unity in the Democratic Congress for their own political gain.

The bill is under attack from the other side of the aisle, as well. Many progressive organizations continue to rally behind Wisconsin Democrat Ron Kind, another of our neighbors representing a district bordering northeast Iowa. Kind has joined forces with Arizona Republican Jeff Flake and others in the House to push their "Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment" in an effort to phase out the federal safety net for farmers.

Kind has good intentions, and many of the proposals in his amendment would work wonders for small and medium-sized farming operations in rural Iowa. His proposals would end the subsidization of mega-corporate agribusiness and channel those funds to important conservation, nutrition and specialty crops programs.

But he goes too far in his crusade to end traditional subsidies. And his approach would harm Iowa's economy.

Farm subsidies were never intended to pad the bottom line of major corporations. That problem needs fixing. But let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Federal farm programs in the United States, including price supports and subsidies, have resulted in the most stable, bountiful food supply that any nation has enjoyed in the history of the world.

Subsidies have always caused consternation and bickering, but mass starvation in America is really a thing of the past, thanks in large part to the New Deal liberal ideology that brought us federal farm programs. I'm not saying people don't go to bed hungry in America today -- they do -- but we've come a long way from the soup lines of the Great Depression.

Farm programs have helped control the volatility in commodity markets caused by weather disasters and other inherent risks involved with agriculture. And most programs are supposed to operate on a counter-cyclical basis, meaning that when commodity prices are low, farmers get some help. When prices are high, as they are now for Iowa's corn and soybeans, the payments aren't necessary. There's that "farm safety net" you're always hearing about.

Serious reform in our subsidy programs are needed, and most everyone recognizes that the House Agriculture Committee's bill is far from perfect. It simply doesn't go far enough to stop big agribusiness corporations from taking advantage of commodity payments. But as House Speaker Pelosi said this week, the bill is a "critical first step for reform."

Ag Secretary Signals Bush Veto of House Farm Bill

2007-07-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns on Wednesday warned of a likely presidential veto of the 2007 Farm Bill in its current form.

Despite the veto threat, the House of Representatives is expected to take the bill to the floor for a vote this week, and has the support of a broad bipartisan coalition of members of Congress and farm-advocacy organizations.

Johanns said that he and other Bush administration policy advisers are unanimous in calling for a presidential veto of the bill.
"The administration appreciates the work of the House ag committee," said Johanns during a press conference made available to reporters across the country. "We recognize long hours were spent going through many, many amendments. But we believe that the bill put forth by the committee misses a major opportunity. The time really is right for reform in farm policy and we feel strongly that the House bill fails to provide that."

His chief gripes with the bill involve costs and the lack of significant reform in the farm commodity payment system. The bill exceeds the administration's cost proposal by $36 billion, Johanns said, and would require new taxes for funding. "The Ways and Means Committee has now signaled an intention to raise taxes on certain businesses," he said. "Our understanding is this tax increase would be used to pay for the House farm bill. Let me be clear about how I view this. I find it unacceptable to raise taxes to pay for a farm bill that contains virtually no reform."

House agriculture committee Chairman Collin Peterson fired back with a feisty response. "This farm bill is supported by a broad spectrum of agriculture, conservation, nutrition and renewable energy advocates," said Peterson, a Democrat from Minnesota. "It represents a carefully crafted compromise that includes substantial reforms and new investments in programs that matter, including fruit and vegetable production, nutrition programs, conservation and renewable energy. Our bill implements Country of Origin Labeling, improves food safety, and paves the way for energy independence while preserving the safety net that our farmers and ranchers need," he said in a press release.

This is not the first time that the Bush administration has issued these kinds of threats, Peterson added. The administration "vigorously opposed the 2002 Farm Bill, which Secretary Johanns and others now praise as 'the right bill at the right time.'"
"Political posturing is par for the course for this administration," he said. "And they have failed to pursue and achieve compromise on any number of issues, including the farm bill. The House Agriculture Committee put together a balanced, fiscally responsible Farm Bill, and I am confident that the House of Representatives will stand with us in supporting this important legislation."

Johanns went into great detail regarding what he calls the bill's lack of "real reform" in farm programs. While the bill does not include hard caps on the amount that an individual can receive in farm program payments, it does include a provision that would eliminate from programs all farm operators making over $1 million annually in gross adjusted income.
"Current law contains an (annual gross income) cap of $2.5 million" said Johanns. "The House bill decreases the AGI cap, but only to a million dollars annually." The House AGI approach would save only $473 million during a 10-year period, he said, but reforms proposed by the Bush administration would save $1.5 billion. He said he believes strongly that there's a point at which people should "graduate from receiving government cash subsidies."

Later in the day, Peterson fired off another press release defending the farm bill and labeling Johanns' statements as a mischaracterization of the facts. "At every turn, the Bush administration and Republican leadership have done their best to stall progress on the 2007 farm bill," he said. "Apparently, the Bush administration and some in the Republican leadership care more about defending the ability of foreign companies to exploit a loophole in the U.S. tax system than they do about supporting the hard-working families and farmers in this country. I hope that they will reconsider their opposition and join us in supporting this Farm Bill that represents a new direction for agriculture policy."

King Says 'Urban Interests' Meddling with Farm Bill

2007-07-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

U.S. Rep. Steve King said Friday he is worried about "urban interests" that have "co-opted wide swaths" of the 2007 Farm Bill.

The bill, which passed out of the House Agriculture Committee last week, might face challenges when it comes up for a vote by the full House this week, said King, who represents Iowa's largely agricultural 5th District and is a member of the ag committee,

"The budget of the commodities title was greatly reduced, while simultaneously the nutrition title was increased," King said in a press release. "We kept the title intact, but essentially, we are seeing money taken from Iowa's cornstalks and sent straight to the cities."

King, a Republican, said this is the result of "San Francisco, Pelosi-led politics." California Democrat Nancy Pelosi is speaker of the House.
"We're seeing nothing short of the urbanization of the Farm Bill. It's wrong, and we need the help of every agriculture voice out there to stop this before it gets worse during the House floor debate," he said.

But King did have a lot to say about what he likes in the bill. "The bill should help maintain Iowa's leading role in world agriculture," said King, "and features many updated policies to help producers." He noted his approval of the bill's provisions for dairy producers, and some of the environmental provisions in the bill.

"I made sure the committee included provisions to protect family farmers from attack by environmentalists who have tried to claim that manure is toxic waste," King said. "My provision should make sure farmers aren't forced to follow senseless environmental regulation."

Grassley Prefers to Keep Farm Subsidies Alive Only for Dead People

2007-07-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

Dead people are receiving farm-subsidy checks long after they've bought the farm.

That news created a stir this week as the 2007 Farm Bill goes up for a critical vote on Thursday amid intense scrutiny of farm-program payments.

The Government Accountability Office recently released a report showing that during a six-year period, nearly $1.1 billion was distributed through farm programs to those who were not among the living. The revelation of the checks to the dead made the front page of Tuesday's Des Moines Register, and has been discussed widely in nationwide news media.

On Tuesday, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters on a conference call that the mess needs to be cleaned up quickly, and it could be handled by simply having the U.S. Department of Agriculture work with other departments. "There's a whole bunch of checks going out to farmers on Oct. 1, and I think now would be the time for me to get a hold of the secretary of agriculture and say, 'Why don't you do like the Veterans Affairs and Social Security does? They notify each other that somebody's died so they can stop payments after death. Why don't you compare our farmers getting these checks with the people on Social Security, just to make sure we don't continue what the GAO has found that was wrong. Because there's billions of dollars worth of payments going out of the federal treasury to farmers on Oct. 1.'"

One of the reasons that deceased individuals continue to receive subsidy checks involves the rules that deal with estates, said Grassley, a Republican. Sometimes, farmers' estates are not settled quickly, so subsidies often legitimately continue in their name. But Grassley said that such estates only account for a small percentage of the situations where dead people are receiving checks, "and it should only be in estates that it would be legitimate that they be kept open."
If a farmer's estate is kept open simply to continue receiving farm-program payments, Grassley believes that is fraud.

The most common situation, Grassley said, has been when individuals within corporations die but continue to receive payments. Other examples involve the many complicated forms of business partnerships such as irrevocable trusts, limited partnerships and joint ventures. "In all of these other instances, once a person dies, except for the year in which they died, there shouldn't be any other payments made," he said.

The Senate Finance Committee, on which Grassley is the ranking member, is now holding hearings to look into ways to stop people from receiving improper farm-program payments. "We need to be cutting waste, fraud and abuse when it comes to government programs and not raising taxes to find more to spend."

Part of the problem rests with the lack of enforcement of a law that was enacted in 1987, which requires that a farmer must be "actively engaged in the business of farming" to be eligible for farm-program checks. "I think that it shows that the Department of Agriculture isn't doing their job," said Grassley. "It's quite obvious, if you pay dead people."

There has been an effort to push the USDA to enforce that provision, but, Grassley said, "We have not found them very receptive to that point of view."
He noted one example of a Florida individual who had been dead for five years, and the company that was managing the estate "kept certifying that the person was actively engaged in the business of farming," said Grassley. "Pushing up flowers, obviously."

As debate on the 2007 Farm Bill continues and moves to the Senate, these kinds of problems will be addressed, said Grassley. This kind of waste, fraud and abuse "strengthens the hand of anybody that's cynical about farm programs and helping small and medium-sized farm operations" with the farm program safety net.
And, he said, "It obviously hurts the taxpayers because there's been $1.1 billion going out the back door."

COOL Passes With Farm Bill

2007-07-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee unanimously passed its 2007 farm bill Thursday, sending the $285 billion legislation to the full House for a vote that could take place next week.

There was a victory in the bill for lawmakers who have been pushing for mandatory country-of-origin labeling on food products. The committee approved language that will finally allow full implementation of Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for meat in the farm bill. The provision includes three categories of labeling, one that indicates a meat product was born, raised and slaughtered in the United States; one that indicates that product was not exclusively born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S.; and one that includes products entirely from other countries. For ground meat, products can be labeled with a list of countries where the product may have originated.

Ag committee chairman Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., issued a statement touting the bill's "investments in conservation, nutrition and renewable energy while maintaining a strong safety net for America's farmers and ranchers."
"We have incorporated some new ideas and important reforms in this Farm Bill," Peterson said, "focusing farm program benefits so they get to real farmers and boosting investment in programs that help those who haven't received benefits through the farm bill before."

As reported on Wednesday on Iowa Independent, some reforms were made in the contentious area of commodity payments, although the changes fall far short of the hopes of many Midwestern lawmakers.

But some progressive organizations are now moving to support the bill, such as the National Farmers Union. "Last night Chairman Peterson did what many believed impossible just a few weeks ago," NFU President Tom Buis said. "The decreased budget baseline created many obstacles but Peterson and the other members of the committee made lemonade out of lemons. Their hard work and long hours have paid off and I believe this bill will have broad support across the countryside. This is a good bill, with a good safety net and good reform," Buis said.

The bill bans a farm operator from receiving payments if gross adjusted income is more than $1 million per year, reducing that threshold from the current level of $2.5 million. And one of the major loopholes in the current farm program, the so-called "Three Entity Rule" was eliminated, a loophole that currently allows operators of large farms to effectively double their commodity payments. The bill also gives farmers participating in commodity programs with a choice between traditional price protection and new market-oriented revenue coverage payments.

Rep. Leonard Boswell, who represents Iowa's Third District and serves as the chairman of agriculture subcommittee on livestock, dairy and poultry, commended chairman Peterson for his work on finding common ground and achieving compromises on the bill. Boswell offered three amendments to the bill, which all passed. One of Boswell's amendments creates a "methamphetamine inhibitor grant program," which would help agricultural retailers selling anhydrous ammonia to purchase a chemical additive that renders the ammonia less useful to meth cooks.

Some other highlights of the Farm Bill include $1.6 billion in new funding aimed at supporting the fruit and vegetable industry in the United States. A new section for Horticulture and Organic Agriculture includes nutrition, research, pest management and trade promotion programs.

The bill adjusts loan rates and target prices among commodities, in an effort to achieve greater regional equity, and cuts federal payment rates to crop insurance companies that are currently making record profits due to higher crop prices.

Conservation has been a key area of expansion in the farm bill, and the bill extends and makes new investments in popular conservation programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Environmental Quality Incentive Program, Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, and many others.

The USDA Snack Program will be expanded as a part of the bill. This is a program that helps schools provide healthy snacks to students during after-school activities. The program will move to all 50 states.

Another key provision in the bill will provide investment in rural economic development efforts and expand access to broadband telecommunication services in rural areas.

While the bill passed the ag committee on a unanimous vote, it is rumored that there may be resistance when it goes to the full House for a vote, as reported here earlier this week. But chairman Peterson stated Friday to reporters that he has the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move the committee bill forward through the full House of Representatives.

Three-Star General Stumps For Obama

2007-07-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

Retired General Scott Gration visited Ottumwa Thursday on a tour of Iowa communities to support Sen. Barack Obama for President.
A crowd of many veterans and potential Iowa caucus-goers came to the Ottumwa Public Library to hear Gration's presentation.
Be sure to check out T.M. Lindsey's story on Iowa Independent about Gration and his visit to Iowa.

Commodity Compromise Reached in House Ag Committee

2007-07-18T23:19:00.000-05:00

A compromise was reached Wednesday on farm commodity payment reforms in the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

The committee completed its work on the commodity title for the 2007 farm bill, and will continue debate on Thursday for other sections of the bill.

Rep. Leonard Boswell, who serves on the committee, told Iowa Independent via e-mail Wednesday that he is preparing for another big day ahead. "We are probably looking at a very late night tonight," he said.

The commodity title of the farm bill was one of the main points of contention, and took up much of the committee's time Wednesday. While many lawmakers had pushed for a cap of $200,000 in farm program payments per individual, Southern ag interests pushed back and forced a compromise approach.

The committee's compromise bans a farm operator from receiving payments if their gross adjusted income is over $1 million per year, reducing that threshold from the current level of $2.5 million.

The amendment also states that a farm operator who makes between $500,000 and $1 million in gross adjusted income is only eligible for payments if two-thirds or more of their income comes from farming.

One of the major loopholes in the current farm program was also eliminated, a loophole that allows operators of large farms to maximize commodity payments.
The so-called "Three-Entity Rule" loophole will be closed as a result of the committee's amendment.

The "Three-Entity Rule," under current law, allows a farm operator to receive farm program payments directly and indirectly through up to two other entities, such as partnerships and corporations. With this loophole, farm operators have been able to double their take.
The committee is expected to complete its work on the farm bill Thursday, and will send its bill to the full House for a vote.

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to begin the markup of its version of the farm bill in early August.

Vous Pourriez Devoir Observer Cette Vidéo Deux Fois

2007-07-18T14:16:00.000-05:00

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