Iowa ag secretary Naig: Possible election challenger ‘hates ag, hates farmers’

URBANDALE — Mike Naig on Wednesday defended the state’s work addressing water quality in Iowa during his tenure as agriculture secretary and characterized a potential challenger in next year’s elections as someone who “hates ag, hates farmers.”

Naig made the comments Wednesday while speaking to the regular meeting of a suburban Des Moines conservative group and in an interview after.

Naig, who was first elected state ag secretary in 2018, is running for a third, four-year term in next year’s midterm elections.

No Democrat has officially declared candidacy for the position, but recently Chris Jones, an author and former University of Iowa researcher, said he is considering a campaign. Jones in 2023 wrote the book “The Swine Republic,” which examines the impact of Iowa farming on the state’s water, soil and air quality, conservation and outdoor recreation.

Naig, while speaking Wednesday to the Westside Conservative Club at Machine Shed Restaurant, made a reference to Jones, calling him “a very liberal opponent.”

“I think I will have an opponent; looks like I will,” Naig said. “You’ve got somebody that is a, well, he’s been prolific in his writing about agriculture. He’s not a fan of it. In fact, I think you could say he hates ag, he hates farmers, and he intends to increase regulation and cost. And of course, what we know is all that ends up in the price that you pay for food.”

Naig said his re-election campaign will “make sure that Iowans get a chance to know where (Jones) stands on a whole lot of issues.”

Jones, in a brief phone interview later Wednesday, pushed back at Naig’s assertions.

“I don’t hate ag. I don’t hate farmers. Who hates agriculture? There’s no reasonable person that hates agriculture,” Jones said. “As far as farmers go, I want more farmers. We need more farmers, not less farmers. We need policy here in Iowa such that we get more farmers. That’s what I’m for.”

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Jones said he does support more regulations to address the proliferation of large farming operations that he said are squeezing out small farms and hurting the environment.

“Yes, I want some regulation on these big operators such that we level the playing field,” Jones said.

Jones, who said he will make a decision on whether to run for state ag secretary by mid-January, told The Gazette that Iowans should view his campaign consideration as “a referendum on the condition of our water and the condition of our environment.”

Naig on Wednesday touted the work the state has done to address water quality and boost conservation practices in Iowa during his time in office. He said there has never been more conservation work being done in Iowa than there is now, and that the state’s funding for the Nutrient Reduction Strategy — a program by the state ag and natural resources departments and Iowa State University to reduce polluting nutrients in Iowa’s waters — has increased from $2 million to $45 million annually.

“We are setting records for conservation. Not talking about conservation. Not white papers on conservation. Actually doing it,” Naig told the conservative group.

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After the event, Naig said the work has been a key priority of his and a major initiative of the state ag department.

“We have a track record of results here, and we feel the urgency to do even more,” Naig said in a brief interview after the event. “We’re in a situation in the state of Iowa where we’re setting records for conservation adoption and we’re accelerating. That’s exactly where we want to be.”

Next year, Iowa’s primary election is June 2 and the general election is Nov. 3.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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