46 Comments
May 10, 2023Liked by lyz

thank you for this excellent reporting and interview. aargh. once again iowa is being noticed for all the wrong reasons (bangs head on laptop!)

Expand full comment

I’d like to ask Chris Jones what he would suggest those of us who are associated with the university (like alums) can do to communicate our feelings about this to the University?

Expand full comment

Thanks for this Lyz. Crossposted, and I ordered Chris's book.

It's not just Iowa. Here's a piece I wrote about animal ag here in Washington.

https://open.substack.com/pub/johnlovie/p/surf-or-turf

Expand full comment
May 10, 2023Liked by lyz

i found this a fascinating read, and am nowhere near iowa. but,

we have similar issues all over this country (and the world) so thank you for this. i am going to get his book.

Expand full comment

Amen brother! It is happening in a lot of places. Think of the Lake Erie "blooms" at Toledo from farm runoffs of fertilizer. I am so sorry to hear about western Iowa streams. When are we going to start learning from Mother Nature instead of trying to outsmart her. Also how much of this is related to corporate farming, using the term loosely?

Expand full comment

Thank you for this critically important interview. One of the potential benefits of moving the Democratic Party's presidential caucuses out of Iowa is a reduction in the pandering by politicians to ethanol interests. Ethanol is an environmental disaster and has distorted our national energy and agricultural food policies for way too long. For the record, I grew up in Des Moines and my undergraduate degree is from Iowa State = I am familiar with the territory.

Expand full comment

I am so glad that you are publicizing this very important story.

This is shameful in so many ways.

Expand full comment
founding

Thanks, Lyz. This is a really important topic.

Expand full comment

Farmers are the reason Kim is our governor. Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City all voted against her. Farmers like republicans because they don’t force farmers to do anything about polluting our waterways. Kim will bow to the farmers. I won’t say every farmer voted for her but most did.

Expand full comment

My small family farm history goes back through several generations from when my relatives came over from Bohemia, now Czechoslovakia. One of my remaining relatives, a dear Aunt Daisy, ran her farm for many years in SW Iowa near Gravity with the help of son & son in law - all fantastic people. Huge hog confinement went in down the road from her - she couldn't go outside because the air was too bad to breathe. Her farm water became contaminated and she was pretty much "shut down". I just can't imagine having 4 generations of family work, blood and sweat be shut down in just a few years by corporate greed. It saddens me in a way I can't describe.

Expand full comment
May 10, 2023Liked by lyz

I didn’t realize the creek I grew up splashing around in was probably not great until right now. Eeeep. Many thanks to Chris Jones for trying.

Expand full comment

Thanks for this interview, Lyz. I want Chris Jones to have a platform and a megaphone to tell all of Iowa the story of our water.

Expand full comment

Hoping Mr. Jones can continue his work during his retirement.

Expand full comment

Ordered his book. It’s going to be a tough read for me. Corporate farms have done and continue to do so much damage. We think it’s the hogs in the pens being restrained and killed. It’s really the small farmers and the residents. Gawd help us.

Expand full comment

This was such a great interview/essay. I live nowhere near Iowa and know nothing about it, and these issues -- silencing, agriculture, water supplies, etc.. -- are universal and not just to farming. It sucks that Jones was shut down and now the audience he built there is deprived of his words and intelligence on these issues. I hope they all migrate to his Substack. I hope the alumni speak up. Thanks for bringing this to your audience Lyz.

Expand full comment
May 10, 2023Liked by lyz

yay! we really need GOOD news here. can't wait to read it when it's up.

Expand full comment