Thicke pledges new vision of agriculture

Francis Thicke, candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, is promising a “new vision and innovative leadership” if Iowans elect him in November.

Speaking to the convention of Johnson County Democrats Saturday, Thicke said he will work to see that “more of our food dollars remain in Iowa, our energy production systems become more sustainable and locally owned, and we protect our air and water quality.”

Thicke asserted that Iowa currently lacks the “statewide vision and leadership needed to prepare us to meet the challenges and opportunities of agriculture in the 21

^st

century.”  He said that decades of bad farm policy and unchecked corporate mergers have driven independent family farmers out of business and “created powerful agribusiness giants to dominate the market and control much of what ends up on our plates.”

He cited estimates that more than 80 percent of the $8 billion worth of food consumed annually in Iowa comes from out of state.  “We could grow much of that food right here in Iowa,” he said, “and that presents a tremendous rural economic development opportunity.”

Thicke, who has a Ph.D. in agronomy and has served in the U. S. Department of Agriculture in Washington as a National Program Leader for soil science, owns with his wife, Susan, an 80-cow dairy farm near Fairfield that processes milk into bottled milk, cheese and yogurt, that are marketed locally.  “We should grow more of the food we eat right here in Iowa to enhance our economy, food security and environment,” Thicke urged.

 Thicke participated in a hearing held on Friday at Ames regarding the lack of opon competition in various agricultural markets.  He said that four companies process 85 percent of the beef in the U. S., two companies sell 50 percent of the seed corn, and one company – Dean Foods – controls 40 percent of the milk supply.  “Five firms dominate the grocery sector, ensuring that low prices paid to farmers aren't passed along to consumers at the store,” he said.

 “We can take back our food system, and that movement can begin in Iowa if you elect me as your Secretary of Agriculture,” said Thicke.  He said that his opponent, incumbent Republican Bill Northey, is heavily supported by “those corporate agribusiness giants” he previously cited who “will pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into his campaign.”

 “Those of us who believe that we need to expand local food production, develop renewable energy systems for agriculture, and foster animal production systems that are ecologically sound, socially responsible and humane, far outnumber those who favor the policies supported by my opponent,” he concluded.

 Earlier in the day, Thicke also addressed the Polk County Democratic Convention at Lincoln High School in Des Moines.

 Thicke's campaign web site is

www.ThickeForAgriculture.com.