A Multitude of Perspectives

My relative neutrality of opinion (or simple ignorance) on the subject of agriculture actually served to better my absorption of the wide variety of  viewpoints that we have encountered over the course of three weeks in Iowa. If I had entered the state with established opinions on any of the topics covered, I would have had little difficulty in simply blocking out contrasting perspectives and feeding on those in accordance with my beliefs. Thankfully, I  possessed the capacity to hear out both sides from a relatively neutral standpoint and the ability to make up my own mind on the matter. Following nearly three weeks of reflection, my opinions have formed in a way similar to the irritatingly vague conclusions of Patrick Westhoff in our text, The Economics of Food.

Although humans prefer the security of a concrete and well-established conclusion, the majority of issues surrounding modern agricultural debates remain multifaceted and complex - no simple answers are available. Nearly every person or organization we met presented a diverse but valid set of facts and a well-constructed message.  A great deal of overlap existed between many speakers. For example, the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Soybean Association shared several common goals, one of which centered on lobbying for a higher gas tax in the state to fund infrastructure development. After all, a functioning rural infrastructure aids farmers in delivering both corn and soybeans to the market.

Environmental groups oftentimes demonize production agriculture; however, farmers who actively engage in such practices usually acknowledge their flaws and work with environmentalists towards a cooperative solution.  Many commodity farmers stressed the importance of environmental protection in the form of nitrogen reduction and soil conservation techniques; such practices are quite common here in Iowa. Groups such as the ISA's On-Farm Network and Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) actively engage farmers and allow them to participate in the research and decision making process. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) collaborates with such groups in a constructive manner, compromising with agriculture groups and delivering results. Without discussion from both sides, issues will never be resolved. Our gridlocked Congress ought to observe the cooperation going on in Iowa between diverse interest groups and take note.

No one person professed a singular and all-inclusive solution to the future of agricultural production. Instead, everyone acknowledged the need for cooperation and a diverse market. Production agriculturalists praised organic and sustainable growers for meeting a growing market demand while expressing concern for the viability of large-scale food production using such methods. Sustainable growers (such as those at the Wallace Farm) criticized many aspects of commodity farming, but also acknowledged the inherent difficulties of their practices as well. Both sides also expressed displeasure at current methods of government regulation and funding for various initiatives.

Over the duration of nearly three weeks in Iowa I have been exposed to a staggering quantity of information in a wide variety of formats, from classroom-style lectures to hands-on activities. I entered this experience looking to gain the information necessary to make my own mind up on agricultural policy. No doubt I have enough information to formulate informed opinions; however, sifting through all of it to arrive at a cohesive viewpoint will prove to be a difficult task.