IA-03: Six Democrats explain how they could beat David Young
Almost every day, I talk to Democrats who haven’t settled on a candidate in the third Congressional district, where six people are running against two-term Representative David Young. (Heather Ryan...
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Iowa Senate district 25 preview: Tracy Freese vs. Annette Sweeney
Voters in Iowa Senate district 25 will elect a successor to disgraced former Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix on April 10. The special election campaign is happening on a compressed timetable because...
View ArticleA crop whose time has come
Ryan Marquardt is a fifth-generation Madison County farmer and the Democratic candidate in Iowa House district 25. -promoted by desmoinesdem What would you say to a crop that grows well in Iowa, has...
View ArticleCathy Glasson for rural rights
Poweshiek County Soil and Water Commissioner and farm manager John Clayton explains why he is “all in for Cathy as governor.” Bleeding Heartland welcomes guest commentaries advocating for Iowa...
View ArticleIA-Gov: First speeches by the Hubbell-Hart ticket (audio, transcripts)
“Whether it’s her own story or distorting facts about my story, one thing is clear: Governor Reynolds is running a campaign about yesterday,” Fred Hubbell told Iowa Democratic Party state convention...
View ArticleHouse approves Farm Bill with food assistance cuts: How the Iowans voted
The U.S. House approved a five-year farm bill on June 21 by 213 votes to 211, with support from Iowa GOP Representatives Rod Blum (IA-01), David Young (IA-03), and Steve King (IA-04). Every Democrat...
View ArticleTerry Branstad can’t save Iowa from Donald Trump’s trade war
For a window onto magical thinking by top Iowa Republicans, you can’t beat Politico reporter Natasha Korecki’s dispatch from the GOP’s state convention earlier this month. President Donald Trump’s...
View ArticleReport from Senator Joni Ernst’s town hall in Shenandoah
First-person accounts of political events are always fun to read. Thanks to Susie Olesen, a semi-retired former teacher and school administrator in southwest Iowa, for this write-up. -promoted by...
View ArticleWeekend thread: Terrible U.S. diplomacy edition
“The U.S. soybean industry’s worst fears are coming to pass today,” the Iowa Soybean Association said in a statement as the first round of tariffs between the U.S. and China went into effect on July 6....
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Iowa reaction to aid plan for farmers hurt by trade war
“Tariffs are the greatest!” President Donald Trump tweeted today, adding that “All will be Great!” A few hours later, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced “up to $12 billion in programs” aimed...
View ArticleIowa agriculture is a water quality problem waiting to happen
Francis Thicke is a soil scientist and organic dairy farmer. He has served as the National Program Leader for Soil Science for the USDA-Extension Service and was the 2010 Democratic candidate for Iowa...
View ArticleComments at a CAFO hearing
Francis Thicke is a soil scientist and organic dairy farmer. He has served as the National Program Leader for Soil Science for the USDA-Extension Service and was the 2010 Democratic candidate for Iowa...
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A staffer’s perspective: What Congressman Boswell taught me
Jeani Murray managed Leonard Boswell’s 1998 campaign and served on his Congressional staff. -promoted by desmoinesdem Leonard Boswell was mortally wounded from Agent Orange poisoning in February of...
View ArticleInterview: What drives Senator Jeff Merkley
“We need to use every tool we have to reclaim our country,” U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley told me during his latest visit to Des Moines. “We are at the verge of a tipping point, and maybe we’re almost past...
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Why I’m running for Polk County Soil and Water Commission
John Norwood thinks “Polk County can be a leader in applying innovation to how we install, pay for, and scale our conservation infrastructure.” He is one of three candidates for two seats on the Polk...
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Iowa’s suffering senator
I’ve had it with Iowa’s welfare queens. Wells Fargo. Rockwell Collins. Pioneer Dupont. Chuck Grassley. Yes, Grassley. The senator announced this week that he’ll apply for federal farm bailout money....
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Severe weather events require new water management thinking
Friends, As announced earlier on Bleeding Heartland, I’m running for Soil and Water Commission here in Polk County (back of the ballot), and I’d like to ask you to consider my candidacy and help me get...
View ArticleClean water and the governor’s race
Barb Kalbach is a fourth-generation family farmer from Adair County and board chair of CCI Action Fund. -promoted by desmoinesdem In the gubernatorial debate on Wednesday night, lots of issues were...
View ArticleWeak laws allow Iowa Farm Bureau to boost Mike Naig with corporate cash
“This is illegal right?” a contact asked this morning after reading Pat Rynard’s scoop about the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation soliciting agribusiness dollars to help Republican Mike Naig win the...
View ArticleIowa can learn from other states on nutrient-driven water pollution
John Norwood is a candidate for Polk County Soil and Water Commission. -promoted by desmoinesdem Nutrient leaching from land use activities is a national issue. Solutions require systems thinking and...
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