Blog

Access to public records is key to a healthy democracy, regardless if these records are maintained by state, county, school or municipal employees. If government is allowed to keep public records secret, then the public does not have important...

The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club welcomes Jess Mazour on-board as the Conservation Program Coordinator. She joined the team on October 1.

When someone mentions nutrient reduction, one of the first things that comes to mind is planting cover crops. Cover crops are a good solution, but not the only one. A recent study points out that farmers must take the next step beyond cover crops...

The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club recently released a report “A Bold Vision for Iowa’s Economy of the Future”. The pandemic and resulting economic slowdown gives us a great opportunity to envision an economy of the future. We have a chance to be...

Soon confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) will be emptying their manure holding pits. The stench and pollution can be detected for several miles from the CAFO and fields where the manure is spread. Children face a special risk to air...

Pregnant women and infants are highly susceptible to nitrates in well water. If you live near farm fields where anhydrous ammonia is spread, a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), or the fields where CAFO manure is spread, you should be...

The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club released its report “Soil: Grounding Us in Transformative Systemic Change”. Patti Naylor, Agriculture Committee Chair, pointed out, “To address the multiple crises that our biosphere faces, we need to advocate...

Iowa’s farming systems will need to change in order to effectively adapt to the climate changes that are already occurring and that are predicted to occur in the near future. A number of states already have created plans to adapt to climate change...

In the search for economic development opportunities and the race to increase the tax base, environmental concerns are often tossed to the side or considered as an afterthought. Iowa does not have an environmental policy act that requires...

The legislature has the power to regulate the CAFO industry and to protect Iowa’s air quality, water quality, and the neighbors. It is time for the legislature to step up to the plate and begin a major overhaul of the CAFO regulations.