A question I think about often: why do we grow so many row crops like corn and soybeans in the heartland instead of apples and potatoes and green beans?
Now, I know enough about farming to be dangerous — I am surrounded by corn and soybean farms — but when I really want to dig in with what is going on with the big picture, I know who to ask: Dr. Chris Jones.
Many people who read my essays are not from the heartland, and even if you live in the heartland, farm policy is complicated.
After talking with Dr. Jones about farm policies, I was reminded of the myth of Sisyphus — the man cursed to spend eternity pushing a boulder up a steep hill only to just miss the top each time.
The struggle.
His fate was endless frustration. His labor for naught.
That feels a little like the farm policies created by politicians over the decades that have resulted in poor farming practices while also harming the land and the air and the water.
And for what?
The pursuit of crops we can’t eat. The pursuit of crops with the largest subsidies. The pursuit of Big Ag.
The situation we now find ourselves in was written into farm policies long ago. The policy for decades has been “Get big or get out.”
We should revisit that policy.
I hope you enjoy this short interview as much as I did…I promise you, you’ll walk away knowing much more about American farming than when you started.
Dr. Chris Jones retired in May of 2023 as a Research Engineer from IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa, where his work focused on water quality and water monitoring in agricultural landscapes.
Previous to that he worked at the Des Moines Water Works and the Iowa Soybean Association. Chris has a BA in Biology and Chemistry from Simpson College and a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Montana State University.
He has authored 55 scientific journal articles, several book chapters and is author of the book The Swine Republic, Struggles with Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality. He also writes a weekly column posted on Substack at Riverraccoon.substack.com.
Dr. Jones lives in Iowa City, Iowa.
~Jess
