Letter to the Editor: What should Iowa be known for?

As I was sitting down with my family for Easter dinner, I felt blessed to have wonderful company and plentiful food at our table. As we sliced our ham dinners, scooped scalloped corn on our plates, and buttered our rolls, we were thankful for the hard work of Iowa farmers toiling in the fields and tending to their livestock that made our meal possible. We are thankful for the perseverance, sacrifices, knowledge, and work ethic demonstrated by Iowa’s family farmers.

Just recently, my fourth-grade students were getting ready to read about Iowa in our social studies textbooks.Knowing that students from around the nation would be reading this same information about Iowa, I posed the following question to my students: “What should Iowa be known for?”  There were three resounding answers shared by my students - farming, corn, and good people. Even young Iowans know the importance of agriculture and hard-working people within our state. Those characteristics should evoke pride in our hearts. But there is a growing concern that is shared by many Iowans. What does the future look like for our state?

Hogs outnumber people in Iowa approximately 7 to 1. As of 2012 there were roughly 6,300 CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) already in Iowa, and more are being proposed at an alarming rate. There is far too much at stake for this to go unnoticed. There is no denying that pork production in Iowa is important. But when is enough, enough? Is it worth the environmental implications that these confinements are having? Contaminated air and water quality are legitimate concerns. Is it worth the health implications?

Asthma, allergens, and MRSA are legitimate concerns. Is it worth negatively impacting the quality of life for Iowa’s citizens who must neighbor these confinements? Denying Iowans’ rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is a legitimate concern. 

So, what should be the priority? How can we provide a sense of balance in our state to support hard-working, well-intended family farmers while also preserving our state’s water and air quality and the quality of life for our citizens?

The growing number of large-scale hog confinements pose a threat to life as we know it in Iowa. The limited number of rules and regulations for confinements under 2,500 hogs makes it easier for these confinements to go in and harder to stop. This is something that our state legislature needs to take notice of and act upon if we want to protect our beautiful state in the years to come.

Currently, my parents and their neighbors are trying to prevent two 2,499-head hog confinements from being built in their neighborhood in Howard County. One is being built by Brandon Reis and the other by Reicks View Farms/Chestnut Creek LLC. Even with significant air quality, water quality, and health concerns being raised to these confinement owners/operators, their intentions are to go forward with their plans against overwhelming opposition. Although the fight to protect Iowa’s air and water quality is grueling, and the odds are stacked against us, it is well worth it. 

If you wish to join our fight or simply learn more about the impact hog confinements are having in our state, please visit our Northeast Iowans for Clean Air and Water page at https://www.facebook.com/NEICAW. 

Angie Chambers,
Cedar Falls
formerly from
Lime Springs