Q: I understand that (in addition to the catastrophic oil spill) fertilizer runoff into the Mississippi is causing algae blooms in the Gulf that are negatively impacting their fishing industry down there. Is there a way to capture some of that runoff at the source to grow algae-based bio-diesel?
A: Algal-based biofuel production has a lot of potential, particulary if tied to waste streams that the algae can utilize. Perhaps some of the high nitrate leachate from field tile drains could be diverted to algae ponds for biofuels production. However, that wouldn’t make much of a “dent” in the volume of tile-drainage leachate from the millions of acres of tile-drained soils in the Midwest.
Q: If I’m growing switchgrass for biodiesel, how can I grow, for instance, wheat, for grazing?
A: Good point. We are never going to be able to supply a major portion our transportation fuel needs with biofuels from crop production. Right now we use a third of the US corn crop to make ethanol and it replaces only about nine percent of our gasoline needs. We could achieve a much greater reduction in oil dependency by improving the mileage of our automobiles. The average automobile in the US (if you include SUVs) gets only about 22 mpg. If we increased that by 2 mph, we would save more gallons of fuel than all the gallons of ethanol produced from a third of the US corn crop. Clearly, we are not using our biofuels very wisely. The Europeans and Japanese have achieved an average mileage of about 45 mpg — double the US mileage. If we doubled our fuel mileage we would save many times more fuel than what we get from the corn ethanol we are making. What I would like to see is for us to develop the promising technologies that will allow farmers to make enough biofuels on the farm to power the farm, using perennial crops that will produce more net energy that corn and be more protective of the environment.
Q: A Farmers Protection Act is being proposed in several states. Would you advocate for this in Iowa?
A: I am talking about it when I get the chance. The good thing about it is that it puts the liability on the owner of the patented seeds, rather than on the farmer who is using that seed.
Q: Iowa has the second most installed wind capacity behind Texas. Is there any effort in Iowa for battery powered tractors charged by the wind? It seems our entire farming system is predicated on cheap gas.
A: No one seems to be thinking beyond diesel fuel for agriculture. A very promising technology is to produce ammonia via wind power and to burn ammonia in internal combustion engines, like in farm machinery. Basically, it is making hydrogen through electrolysis from wind power and then converting the hydrogen to ammonia. Ammonia is much better than hydrogen as a transport fuel because it is liquid at relatively low pressure. Some researchers estimate ammonia could be made by wind power at less than the current cost of gasoline.
Q: Would wind-produced ammonia be a competitive source of N? Isn’t most anhydrous made with natural gas now?
A: Yes, Most anhydrous ammonia is made with natural gas. The Univ. of MN has a pilot project making anhydrous ammonia (AA) with a 1.65 MW wind turbine. They are estimating that it would be cheaper to make the $300 million worth of AA used in MN with wind than to ship it in up the Mississippi River. I believe that they are estimating that it would take 2 GW of power to make all the AA used in MN.
Q: Do you support restoring farmers’ ability to legally grow hemp as a fiber, food, and oilseed crop?
A: Hemp has great potential as a crop with many uses, from medicinal to industrial.
Q: Is there enough space to “put livestock back onto the landscape” and still produce enough food to feed everyone?
A: Good question, one that others have asked. If we assume that a given area of land produces the same amount of crop yield whether harvested mechanically or by animals (e.g. grazing), that land area should be able to support the same number of animals either way. Also, as I have noticed on my own grass-based dairy, when animals are integrated onto the landscape in a way that is ecologically sound, the soil tends to build in organic matter, which results in increased productivity over time.
Q: How is organic farming looking towards the future?
A: Link to long answer in my blog comments
Q: What are the three biggest issues facing the department? How will you address them?
A: Budget cuts: I will address budget cuts by giving highest priority to providing services necessary to fulfill the statutory and regulatory responsibilities of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. I will also look for opportunities to gain efficiencies in department operations, and particularly will ask bureau chiefs within the department to make recommendations for improved operational efficiencies. 2. Another big issue facing the department, though little talked about, is lack of vision and leadership to prepare Iowa agriculture for some of the major challenges we face today. For example, Iowa agriculture is highly dependent on cheap fossil fuels, and we are at the end of the cheap-fossil-fuel era. The department shows no vision or leadership on how to transition Iowa agriculture away from dependence on fossil fuels. The department also lacks vision and leadership for how to make Iowa agriculture more resilient to extreme weather events.
Q: What accomplishments can voters expect?
A: I will work to help coordinate the efforts of the many farmers and organizations working to increase the production and marketing of local foods here in Iowa. One way I will do that is by supporting and giving visibility to the work of Iowa Food Policy Council, and I will give the Council a home in the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. I will be an advocate for local control of siting of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and for sensible CAFO regulations that will protect water quality and the health, quality of life, and property values of CAFO neighbors. I will support programs that encourage farmers to use more perennial and cover crops in rotations to increase landscape resilience, reduce soil erosion, reduce flooding potential, increase carbon sequestration, and reduce soil nutrient loss to water resources. I will support the development and adoption of sustainable, renewable, on-farm energy systems.
Q: Do you believe current regulators within the department have adequate oversight abilities and staffing levels to adequately protect consumers?
A: I believe that current regulatory and inspection staff within IDALS is stretched very thin and is barely able to cover statutory inspection requirements. Any further cuts in regulatory and inspection staff would jeopardize oversight abilities and potentially put consumers at risk.
Q: Should local officials be allowed to decide locations for large livestock operations or should siting approval remain with the state?
A: Local officials should be allowed to decide locations for large livestock operations. However, the comprehensive set of regulations of livestock operations should remain at the state level with the DNR. 
Q: Tax credits came up frequently during the 2010 session. Which agricultural tax credits are most critical? Are there any agricultural tax credits you would retire? Are there additional credits that should be added?
A: I support the 2010 Legislature’s restoration of the Agricultural Assets Transfer Tax Credit Program to $6 million. Tax credits that I think should be maintained include the Iowa Homestead Credit, Iowa Ag Land Credit, and Iowa Family Farm Land Credit. I would support retiring the pollution control property tax exemption for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), which is a tax exemption to CAFOs for having a manure storage structure, which they are by law required to have.
Q: What must Iowa do to further capitalize on opportunities in renewable energies? Are there opportunities you see that are underutilized?
A: Probably the most underutilized opportunity for renewable energy for Iowa agriculture is to produce renewable energy on farms to power farms. For example, I would support the enactment of feed-in tariff policies to encourage farmers to install mid-sized wind turbines on farms all across Iowa, so farmers could use the wind blowing across their farms to power their farms. There are also promising technologies on the horizon that would enable farmers to produce biofuels on their farms to power their farms. We need to develop and implement these kinds of technologies that will enable Iowa farmers to become independent of fossil fuels. Iowa agriculture today is highly dependent on fossil-fuel energy, and we are at the end of the cheap-fossil-fuel era. We need to move quickly to develop sustainable, renewable energy systems for Iowa agriculture.
Q: Should Iowa agriculture rely less on traditional row crops and become more involved in producing fruits and other vegetables as part of a movement toward healthier eating?
A: We in Iowa eat $8 billion worth of food each year, but we import 80% or more of that food from out of state. We could produce a lot more of that food right here in Iowa, which presents a tremendous economic development opportunity for Iowa agriculture. It would take very little land from row-crop production to produce fresh fruits and vegetables for Iowa consumers. It is not a matter of either/or, there are plenty of opportunities for both row-crop production and fruit and vegetable production.
Q: Do you support efforts to relax frozen manure application regulations?
A: No. I think the rules to prohibit manure application on frozen and snow-covered ground that were enacted by the 2009 Legislature are appropriate and should not be weakened.
Q: Please describe efforts you’d undertake to enhance conservation and protect Iowa’s water quality.
A: I would work for wider adoption of the use of cover crops and perennial crops in crop rotations to reduce soil erosion and soil nutrient leaching and increase rainfall infiltration and soil water-holding capacity. One way this could be done is through converting to perennial crops for biofuels production.