Critics: Ag leases on public land are bad for the land and wildlife

Tucked in Iowa's northeast corner, down a steep and wooded valley fed by cold-water springs, Sny Magill Creek flows through 1,600 acres of public land managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The creek, one of the best trout streams in Iowa, runs through the Sny Magill Public Area, which is among 363,000 acres of fish and wildlife areas managed by the state. The DNR leases a portion of its land to farmers every year, including land near Sny Magill Creek.

Timothy Mason, 61, a neighbor of the valley, said he's seen far too many abuses on the once-pristine landscape. His voice is one of several calling for the DNR's land leases to be curtailed or eliminated.

“The bottom line is does the Iowa Department of Natural Resources really have to be in the farming industry?” said Mason, who spent the summer documenting and cleaning up damage around the creek where he learned to swim as a child.

Over the years, Mason said, he's seen poor farming practices on public land grow worse. For example, one farmer planted so close to the trout stream that his combine tipped into the creek and had to be pulled out with a bulldozer.

This summer, the farmer renting near Sny Magill Creek committed so many abuses on the land that the state - after complaints from Mason and finding violations during compliance checks - sent him a letter last week terminating his three-year lease.

“As I would walk the land, I would watch his habits down there, and I could see that he was not a friend of the land,” Mason said. “He was moving soils around and pushing vegetation down into the trout stream.”

Mason argues that even farmers who are not violating the terms of their contracts are harming the land by eroding the soil with row crops and poisoning the streams with chemical runoff.

“The DNR shouldn't be subsidizing this massive destruction of natural resources in Iowa,” he said, adding that Iowa has plenty of corn, beans and hay. “There is no need for this other than money, and I don't think that is the mission of the DNR.”

Terry Haindfield, DNR wildlife biologist for the Upper Iowa Wildlife Unit, said it's not about the money, although the leases do generate revenue.

“The primary reason we do this is for better natural resources and management,” he said. “Wildlife is the main objective, rather than money. We would be doing it a whole lot different if we were doing it for money.”

Still, there's a place for the program, Haindfield said. The state requires renting farmers to leave a portion of their yield for wildlife in the area, keeping animals from feeding on the corn, beans and hay in neighboring, privately farmed fields, he said.

Jon Stravers with the Midwest region of the National Audubon Society takes issue with that, though.

“I work with species that are rare and endangered,” Stravers said. “What they do when they create more corn and hay is make it easier for species that are common and more difficult for species that are rare.”

Haindfield said cropping also makes it possible for visitors to view or hunt wildlife on public land, using licenses whose fees are used to benefit endangered species, wildlife diversity and other natural resources.

DNR officials said they regularly re-evaluate agricultural leasing practices and perpetually strive to reduce the number of acres of rented public land.

The state employs farming techniques meant to maximize Iowa's natural habitat, including leaving some fields unfarmed for a season and requiring renters to plant specific crops in specific areas.

Maury Regan, 40, of Waukon - the farmer whose lease for 180 acres in the Sny Magill Creek Valley was terminated - ignored the stipulations requiring him to plant corn, hay and oats, Haindfield said. Regan planted beans.

Regan also excavated soil to make a larger field entrance for his equipment. Haindfield said the DNR sent him a letter, telling him the excavation was not allowed and notifying him of other violations.

“He did it anyway,” Haindfield said.

Regan said he received the termination letter last week. “It's true,” he said. “It was getting late to plant corn, so I planted soybeans. I didn't realize it was a big deal.”

About the excavation complaints, Regan said, his equipment was bigger than the previous tenants' combines.

“We had to do a little bit of the driveway to get in,” he said. “Mistakes were made, and we are sorry.”

Regan, who owns 1,000 acres of farmland, said he paid $22,000 in rent for the first year of cropping on public land, and he made his money back. He said he would like the chance to rent from the DNR again.

“I've got to learn from my mistakes,” he said.