Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig boasts homegrown products during Des Moines County stop
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WEST BURLINGTON — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig was treated to home-grown culinary delights Thursday as he visited cow and elk farms in Lee and Des Moines counties.
"People just like to feed me," he said in response to a remark about his slim frame from state Sen. Mark Lofgren as Naig sampled a piece of heart-healthy summer sausage made from elk raised at Wildlife Lakes Elk Farm, owned and operated by Henry and Barbara Bohlen, just outside of West Burlington.
Earlier in the day, Naig had enjoyed foods made at Hinterland Dairy in Donnellson, where products including cheese, yogurt and ice cream are processed on site from cows raised there.
It's operations such as these that Naig believes will benefit from the Choose Iowa bill, which encourages customers to buy food, fuel and agricultural products grown in Iowa through the establishment of a promotional program to be run by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It was among the last of three bills signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds this past legislative session.
"I actually asked for this year at the Legislature the creation of a new state-branded program for local food and ag products, so Iowa-grown, Iowa-raised, Iowa-produced products," Naig said of the bill. "This will be an umbrella that we can put everything from the elk farm that we're talking about (Thursday) to the dairy that I was just on under this Choose Iowa umbrella and really build out that great brand that we know we have."
Naig said not only are local products good for Iowans and the economy, but their availability isn't as hindered by chinks in the supply chain as non-domestic products..
Naig hopes to play an active role in the new Choose Iowa program throughout its first years, but to do that, he'll need to retain office.
John Norwood, a Des Moines Democrat with a focus on crop diversification, sustainability and the creation of farm parks that he says would make it easier for Iowans to break into ag, is vying to unseat Naig in the November election.
The Republican incumbent has outspent and outraised his challenger, with his campaign having spent $43,490 between Jan. 1 and July 14, compared to Norwood's $29,995.
Also as of July 14, Naig had $193,699 cash on hand, while Norwood had $11,105, according to records filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.
This is not the first time Naig has been challenged for his position at the head of the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, which is responsible for managing land and helping farmers in the state.
He was appointed to that role in 2018 by Reynolds after the departure of Bill Northey, who took a job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Naig had served under Northey for five years as deputy agriculture secretary.
He was elected to head the department later in 2018, coming out ahead of Democrat Tim Gannon.
Naig totes biofuel benefits amid inflation woes
On his third consecutive day of traveling and meeting with Iowans involved in the ag sector, Naig said inflation and uncertainty about the future are among the biggest challenges.
"What I hear from folks is the impact of inflation," Naig told The Hawk Eye from inside a cottage built by Henry Bohlen that overlooks a lake that was being enjoyed by a family of trumpeter swans. "That's impacting everything, but it's certainly impacting farmers and ag businesses.
"We look across the state of Iowa. Our crop is good. We've got some dry conditions in places in the state, but really I think we're looking at a very strong crop. Commodity prices are solid. But the cost of everything that farmers need to do what they do, whether from a crop or livestock standpoint, is also up. So inflation and supply change disruption, fuel costs, grocery bills, all those things are impacting our families.
"And then the uncertainty. Nobody wants uncertainty in their business. So to try to look ahead and say what's fuel going to cost next year and what's fertilizer going to cost next year. Those are difficult things to try to manage."
Naig acknowledged that Iowa is limited in what it can do to combat inflation, but he noted that the benefits of the state's investment in ethanol can be seen at the pump.
"As we were traveling this morning, I filled up and there was a 20-cent spread between E-15 and 10% ethanol blend," he said. "That was something the Legislature addressed, biofuels access, this session.
"Obviously, those requirements haven't come into place yet, but the fact that we've been investing in biofuels, infrastructure and production in the state of Iowa is paying dividends today, because you're seeing a price break at the pump."
Naig further stated that much of what drives up cost of ag production is energy, which is why he believes it is important to continue to focus on a diverse portfolio of domestic energy production that includes oil, natural gas, ethanol, biodiesel, renewable energy, solar and wind.
Naig said he is supportive of ethanol as a long-term fuel due to the fact that it's cleaner burning, cheaper and has economic advantages for the state as well as the communities in which it is produced.
"Ethanol is playing a huge role today," Naig said. "We put a significant stake in the ground in saying we believe it absolutely does have a future. In fact, we think its got an opportunity to grow and be used at higher rates across the country. Ethanol has a role to play, and I think it can exist well into the future, but let's not over-rely on any one source."
He also pointed to biodiesel, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel and other potential future uses of Iowa's most grown crops.
"These are all things that are bio-based, and we're just scratching the surface on some of those potentials," Naig said. "Also, by the way, corn and soybean can be used as raw materials for many other bio-based materials and chemicals, and I think we're just scratching the surface there on what's possible, so I think there's a lot to be excited about the future of value-added ag. How do we add value to corn and soybean and drive value back to our communities?"
Soil and water conservation
Naig said much work remains to be done to improve Iowa's soil and water quality.
The state's nutrient reduction strategy utilizes wetlands, saturated buffers, cover crops and other field management practices to reduce the amount of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrates that enter Iowa's waterways.
"We spent the first several years trying to demonstrate the effectiveness of those practices," he said. "A lot of folks didn't know how those things worked. We've moved beyond that."
Naig said his department now seeks to help farmers scale up those practices by encouraging them to utilize cost-share programs.
"You don't have to go all-in. You don't have to cover every acre that you farm. But why don't you start? So we offer cost-share for that," he said. "Cover crops improve soil health, and improved soil health improves productivity. Proving some of that out and showing people the results is another thing I think we need to do a lot more of."
Water and soil quality efforts have been helped by the $100 million investment in water infrastructure that the Legislature approved in 2021.
"When you have that kind of long-term, dedicated funding, then you can really start to plan into the future and scale up and attract the partners that we need," Naig said, explaining his department now has more than 350 partners, including Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever, involved in water quality projects across the state.
He also noted that progress is being made on the expansion of cover crops. Prior to 2013, when Iowa implemented its nutrient reduction strategy, Naig said, "we had maybe 10 or 20,000 acres of cover crops. We're approaching three million acres of cover crops today. We need to get to six (million) and beyond."
Naig said cover crops will continue to be important in the face of more extreme weather events such as heavy spring and fall rains.
"I think that's another motivator for folks to give new focus to cover crops in the fall, get cover on the land, making sure that we're focusing on those traditional conservation practices like terraces and grass waterways and buffers," he said. "These are all things that we know how to do and we need to also make sure that we're being protective of those natural resources. But how crops are managed and the tools that farmers need to ensure that that happens, those are things we've got to continue to fight for."
Michaele Niehaus covers business, development, environment and agriculture for The Hawk Eye. She can be reached at mniehaus@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Mike Naig visits West Burlington elk farm on Iowa 99-county tour
