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October is National Pork Month

Editorial

October has been designated National Pork Month. That makes it an especially good time to reflect on the importance of the pork industry to this state. It’s unlikely that anyone who lives in Iowa does not already know that pork production contributes mightily to the economic vitality of the Hawkeye State. It may come as a surprise, however, that hogs raised in Iowa account for more than 30 percent of U.S. hog production. Iowa ranks as the nation’s top hog-producing state. It’s also the top state for pork exports. According to the Iowa Pork Producers Association: • Exports ...

America needs farmers

Local Columns

We celebrate National Farmers Day on Oct. 12, during the height of harvest, to honor the men and women who feed and fuel the world. The dirt underneath my own fingernails, from our fourth generation corn and soybean farm in northeast Iowa, represents the real-world perspective I bring to Washington’s policymaking tables. A lot of times, that means countering Washington nonsense with Midwestern common sense. Too many Americans take our food supply for granted. Some are under the mistaken impression food grows in grocery stores, restaurants or take-out containers. When they prepare or ...

Protecting American corn growers from Mexico’s unfair trade practices

Local Columns

On Oct. 1, the new president of Mexico — Claudia Sheinbaum — was officially sworn into office. While politics in Mexico may seem inconsequential to domestic affairs here in the United States, this development is very significant for our country, and particularly for our agricultural community. In 2023, trade between the United States and Mexico nearly eclipsed $800 billion, and this year, we are expected to surpass that figure. Mexico also imported almost $30 billion in agricultural commodities — our second-largest market for agricultural exports — which included $5 billion in ...

Keep Iowa’s roads safe during harvest

Editorial

This is the time of the year when big, slow-moving farm vehicles rumble out onto roadways dominated by faster-paced traffic. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who lives in farm country. Even so, all of us should pay special heed to safety considerations as we share the roads with agricultural vehicles. In general, Iowa has been doing a good job of keeping accidents involving farm vehicles to a minimum. According to data from the Iowa Department of Transportation, fatalities and major injuries resulting from such accidents have been on the decline in recent years. That’s ...

4-H is about helping youths achieve

Editorial

National 4-H Week, which begins Monday and concludes Saturday, is a good time to celebrate the enormous contributions 4-H makes to our community and nation. It’s hard to imagine anyone in Iowa who doesn’t know a bit about 4-H, but this week is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the important contribution this organization makes by helping young people develop skills and values that will serve them well for a lifetime. It has been more than a century since 4-H got its start in Iowa in 1901. Today it is the largest youth-development program in the state. About one-quarter of the ...