Ironically enough, last week, Farmer John, one of the grandees of the swine republic was in was in full-on mode running honey wagons up Tyler St. and back every 15 minutes from 8 till 10 p.m. from Monday till Thur., while I was reading Iowa, the Swine Republic by Chris Jones. Jones is a “research engineer with IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa,” according to the bio under his picture in the book.
Though a PhD there, he is more than a little peeved at swine ag and the university’s role in it. Having taken the Master Gardener training from Iowa State Extension, I can testify there is no preference for organic solutions there either. Leaving one to wonder how many profs endorse unsustainable, chemical agriculture just to keep their jobs.
That’s the reason to read this book of essays, incidentally. In one of them, he points out that everybody says they want clean water, in fact, 81% of Polk County residents voted to tax themselves to get it, but “the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) has no meaningful way to regulate farm pollution…” but in actual fact, “CAFOs (Confined Feeding Operations) make intelligent manure application impossible…”
The ironies never quit that day. Wednesday, another farmer, ironically also named John, stopped by to commiserate and complained, “He (the Farmer John with the 3 CAFOS up the road) doesn’t even bother to cut it in!” I suppose knifing it into the soil would help keep a bit more pig pee and nitro on the land, but is that the solution?
I think we have arrived at such a far-gone point where our institutions (universities and government, the DNR) are so corrupt that we may have to take matters into our own hands: refuse to repair the roads, bridges and culverts polluters drive on—since farmers don’t pay for city streets anyway. Put up a sign (pictured) and tell Farmer John to take the gravel over to Hwy. 136, which he does pay for.
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