Thicke Campaign Not Surprised Monsanto Lawyer Endorsed Northey

Monsanto lobbyist, DeCoster lawyer and political power broker Jerry Crawford’s endorsement of Republican incumbent Ag Secretary Bill Northey brings key relationships to light that underscore the need to elect an independent thinker like Francis Thicke as Iowa’s top agriculture official, the campaign said today.

Thicke Campaign Continues to Line Up Big Name Endorsements

As we enter the final week of the election season, Secretary of Agriculture candidate Francis Thicke received several high profile endorsements. These endorsements include in-state and national figures including: US Senator Tom Harkin, best-selling author Michael Pollan, environmental expert Bill McKibben, and former Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower.

Former Commissioner of Agriculture, Texas, Endorses Thicke, Slams Northey

Jim Hightower’s endorsement:

“In Iowa’s election for Secretary of Agriculture, the choice couldn’t be clearer. On one hand you’ve got Francis Thicke, who has worked as a dairy farmer for 27 years, selling his products locally and actually building the economy. On the other hand, you’ve got Bill Northey who has led a team that invested nearly $1 million in Brazil’s ethanol production. In a world where money talks, maybe Bill Northey should be running for Secretary of Agriculture in Brazil.”

Northey Uses Big Ag Checks To Take Message To Voters

Thicke asks opponent to talk directly to people through debates FAIRFIELD, Iowa, October 18, 2010 – Iowa Agriculture Secretary candidate Francis Thicke called on his opponent to take the campaign to voters through debates, rather than through media paid for by Big Ag. Thicke has accepted invitations to debate incumbent Bill Northey four more times [...]

Thicke: Local control over CAFO siting is ‘democracy in action’

Secretary of Agriculture Candidate Francis Thicke responded by saying “Bill Northey is wrong and Terry Branstad is selling Iowan’s short,” and that “It is clear they don’t want you to have a say in what goes on in your community.”

Thicke Campaign: Northey Out of Touch, Deserves Recall

The August egg recall, which covered more than half a billion eggs and caused over 2,000 cases of salmonella, returned to the national spotlight today.

Maria Muldaur Kicks Off 5-City Concert Tour Supporting Thicke’s Ag Secretary Campaign

Blues singer Maria Muldaur and Her Red Hot Bluesianna Band kick off a “New Vision for Iowa Food and Agriculture” concert tour in Bettendorf Friday, Oct. 8, to support Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate Francis Thicke’s campaign. The first of five concerts will be held Friday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St.

Thicke, who studied orchestral trumpet performance as a graduate student before going on to earn a Ph.D. in agronomy and soil science, has been practicing his trumpet between campaign stops to promote his vision for Iowa food and agriculture production that makes farms more profitable, while creating sustainable local economies. He’ll join Muldaur and her band on the trumpet for a cameo performance during the five-city tour that also includes stops in Clinton, Iowa City, Cedar Falls and Des Moines.

Ag Secretary Candidates to Debate Oct. 7; Event Will be Webcast

Thicke accepted Northey’s invitation to debate Sept. 11 at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Northey’s home territory. The Thicke campaign reciprocated, inviting Northey to Thicke’s hometown of Fairfield to take questions in a multimedia debate sponsored by the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Fairfield Ledger and KRUU Radio, all of Fairfield; and KTVO News and the Ottumwa Courier, both of Ottumwa.

Ag Secretary Candidate Thicke: Opponent Distorting Position on Ethanol

Francis Thicke points out that it was the over-exuberance of ethanol advocates like Northey that encouraged the ethanol industry to overbuild, which contributed to the industry’s financial distress when the ethanol market contracted. Thicke says, “Economists had warned that the ethanol industry was being over-built, but we did not hear that caution from Mr. Northey.”

Thicke Plans 8-City Tour For Major Energy Policy Announcement

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate Francis Thicke will launch a seven-city tour across Iowa to announce a comprehensive energy policy for agriculture that shifts new public incentives to wind and biofuel systems that 1) Produce energy to power agriculture, 2) Are farmer-scale and farmer-owned, and put profits in farmers’ pockets, and 3) are truly sustainable and renewable.