by Tom Parker First impressions are formed within seventeen seconds, psychologists claim, which was roughly the same amount of time it took for the sleek charter bus to inch down the narrow driveway of Rolling Acres Farm. Passengers, attuned to endless fields of corn and soybeans that marked their passage across Iowa, stared out on [...]
by Tom Parker When the charter bus pulled into the driveway of Ron and Maria Rosmann’s farm near Harlan, Iowa, a division surfaced between the passengers that was solidly gender-oriented. The men—farmers mostly—wanted to see the fields first, to inspect equipment, discuss techniques and complain about the weather, while the women wanted [...]
by Tom Parker In 2015, David Nees earned the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award for Sac County, Iowa. It was a big deal. Besides being recognized for his ability to creatively use modern equipment efficiently in an organic operation, for his decades-long focus on developing healthy soils, and for serving as a [...]
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today its intent to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) final rule. The rule was finalized in January 2017, but placed on hold when the new administration took office. National Farmers Union (NFU) supports the OLPP rule’s intent, as it would improve the consistency and [...]
