Economic Development

Chapter 31 – Economic Development

Iowans eat $8 billion worth of food annually, but about 90 percent of that food is imported from out of state – another ironic statistic from the “Food Capital of the World.” Growing more of our food right here in Iowa represents a potential multi-billion dollar economic development opportunity. This potential economic activity could create thousands of new jobs and help revitalize rural communities in Iowa, as well as provide Iowans with fresh, nutritious food. It would also increase the biodiversity on Iowa’s landscape.

Because It Tastes Better

Chapter 30 – Because It Tastes Better

Imagine a tomato picked green in Mexico, boxed up and shipped to Iowa. By the time it gets to the grocery store shelf, it begins to turn pink and even a little red. Now, imagine picking a red, vine-ripened tomato in your back yard. You can practically “taste” the difference in your imagination.

Beyond its superior flavor, produce ripened on the plant can be nutritionally superior. For example, the Vitamin C content of tomatoes will increase to some degree after picking, but it will not reach levels found in tomatoes allowed to vine ripen. Also, local fruits and vegetables generally get to consumers more promptly after harvest and at the peak of freshness, which contributes to retaining their nutritional value.

Where Does Your Food Come From?

Chapter 29 – Where Does Your Food Come From?

Food is so familiar and intimate to our daily experience that most of us rarely think about where it comes from. We don’t stop to think that the apple we are eating may have come from China, or the tomato from Mexico, or the grapes from Chile. We just know that they all come from the grocery store.

Imagine

Chapter 27 – Imagine

In my youth, it would have taken a vivid imagination to think that in 40 years I would be carrying around a personal communication device that would allow me to instantly communicate with anyone around the world, and to have instant access to the latest information and cutting-edge knowledge of every field of life – at the touch of a few buttons.

Likewise, today we probably cannot fully envision what the future portends. However, we should not limit our thinking to a projection of the status quo of today, and we should not naysay about technologies on the horizon because they are not yet fully developed. Sometimes people who say things cannot be done need to get out of the way of people who are already doing them. As Abraham Lincoln purportedly said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

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.”

Creative Uses of Wind Power

Chapter 26 – Creative Uses of Wind Power

One potential use for wind-generated electricity is to power electric and plug-in gas/electric hybrid cars. Electric and hybrid cars can be charged at night, when electrical demands are lowest and wind-power generating capacity might otherwise go unused.

State Has Strong Role In Food Safety Oversight

The Register editors indicated they believe food safety is a federal job, so Iowa should not set a precedent by taking action to ensure the safety of Iowa eggs (Cracking down on eggs is federal job, September 18). They don’t understand that states already have a strong role in food-safety oversight.

On-Farm Wind Power

Chapter 25 – On-Farm Wind Power

There are several potential benefits of having small to medium-sized wind turbines on farms all across the state. First, that would allow more distributed production of electricity across the state. With distributed production, electricity generation within the state would be more constant because as wind systems move across the state, they will power turbines from one end of the state to the other, rather than just hitting regional clumps of wind farms and then passing by.

A second benefit of distributed production is that more of the electricity generated is used locally, either on the farm where it is produced or close by. That reduces the line loss that occurs when electricity is transmitted a long distance, and it reduces the need for high capacity transmission lines that become necessary when electricity from large wind farms in one area of the state has to be distributed across the remainder of the state.

Sorghum for Ethanol

Chapter 24 – Sorghum for Ethanol

There are a number of alternative biomass sources that are being explored for biofuels production. One example that may have potential is growing algae and converting the algal biomass to biofuels. That could work particularly well in combination with an electric power plant that can serve as a source of both heat and carbon dioxide to spur algal growth. Another interesting idea that is already being put into practice by an Iowa farmer is on-farm ethanol production using sweet sorghum.

Biochar

Chapter 23 – Biochar

Biochar has many potential uses. It can be burned as a fuel, and it has many potential commercial and industrial uses. But, probably the most important potential use for biochar is as a soil amendment. When added to soils, biochar increases the water-holding and nutrient-holding capacity of soils, thereby reducing the need for irrigation and fertilizers.