Iowa and other states in the Midwest lead the U.S. in soil fertility and productive farmland. Iowa farmers use upward of 30 million acres to produce food, fiber, and fuel. While Iowa has much to be proud of as an agriculture leader, John Norwood, the Democratic candidate running for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, said there is an imbalance in the state’s farm production.
Before running for the position of ag secretary, Norwood served as a soil and water commissioner for Polk County. Despite the state’s high productivity, he said water quality is a considerable issue.
Iowa has 783 impairments in 594 bodies of water, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Soil health is also on Norwood’s radar where he said critical facet to water management.
“We’ve lost a third of our topsoil in places, the richest quality soils in the world, but we’re just kind of frittering it away,” Norwood said.
Listen to the audio below to hear my full conversation with John Norwood.