Family Farm Fun

Cracking the Ag Code

When there is no avoiding the issue, industrial agriculture hides its guilt by camouflaging it — with a little help from their friends. This piece shows one way agribusinesses [that are responsible for more than four times the nutrient pollution as every other source combined] are being reduced to just another source in a list by people that the public trusts to inform. The Iowa Farm Bureau answers their own question: “Where do the increased nutrient levels come from?” by squeezing Agriculture in between Fertilizers from Golf Courses and Lawn Treatment. In light of this answer, it may be ironic [or informative] to learn that Agriculture produces 90% of the state’s nutrient runoff, and that in 2018, after 5 years of voluntary agricultural programs, their runoff had actually increased.