Does The Land Really Matter?
I believe it does.......
I am desperate to write something good about Iowa but right now, in this moment, the core values that I grew up with are way out of whack. Nature is being mistreated, raped, pillaged and plundered right in my neighborhood and it seems as if many Iowans don’t give a damn. The people I am close to care, but we need more to join our ranks to demand a livable Iowa. How is it that corn, revered and held sacred by Native Americans, is ruining Iowa? It blows my mind that corn has become a commodity exploited by industrial capitalists and in that process the very land we live and depend on is being destroyed.
When the local radio station reported there was a fertilizer spill into the East Nishnabotna River during the middle weekend of March, my first reaction was “oh, another incident that most people will ignore.” I also didn’t think much about it, the incident happened near Red Oak, about fifty miles downstream from me.
What did catch my attention was when reports came in that 750,000 fish had been killed. The extent of this liquid nitrogen fertilizer spill has likely killed almost every living creature, turtles, frogs minnows, snakes and vegetation along the Nishnabotna for 50 to 60 miles, impacting the state of Missouri as well. A major ecological disaster.
Here is a news report from an Omaha station:
In a March 27th report https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/03/27/fertilizer-killed-more-than-750000-fish-in-nishnabotna/, along with the Red Oak spill, Jared Strong mentioned a gasoline spill into the East Nish at a Casey’s in Atlantic, near where I live. I had not heard anything about this incident and am shocked. I feel that I am informed about my community but this one passed by me unnoticed. Spills are so common if we hear about them, we tend to just shrug and go on without thinking about the consequences of such negligence. Not any more!
The news sent me into a rage of expletives damning the factory farm style farming. The exploitation of the land and water has exposed all Iowans to cancer and other diseases. This ecological disaster is another layer on top of the layers of disrespect some Iowans have for the land and the water. Both have been treated as commodities exploited for monetary gains, not as living beings . It doesn’t have to be this way. Farming can be done in partnership with the earth and be profitable. https://cfans.umn.edu/news/organic-production-profitable#:~:text=MN-WI%20organic%20row%20crop%20producers%20managed%20325%20acres%20per,acre%20in%20median%20farm%20income.
Corn needs nitrogen to grow. Nitrogen in all forms has a long history of being dangerous and overapplied to the soil, the consequences leading to extremely poor water conditions in our state. The long white cylindrical tanks that move slowly down road in the spring and fall? Those contain another source of nitrogen, a hazardous gas called anhydrous ammonia. Those tanks crisscross barren fields to knife the poisonous gas into the soil killing all living creatures it comes in contact with. People who hook the tanks to tractors have the potential to be blinded if there is a leak in the connection. It happened to a neighbor up the road from here.
Every day I become more agitated at the genuine disregard for our valuable and precious soil and water. People use these resources as if they are unlimited and will always be there for us to abuse. Not only am I alarmed, I am outraged.
A couple of days ago I took a drive around Brighton and Pymosa Townships. The land Larry and I live on is located in the northern part of Cass County in Brighton Township. Each square mile in a township is a “section.” A section is a square mile in size and consists of 640 acres. The two townships are bordered on the west by Hwy 173 and on the east by Buck Creek Road, a main north/south gravel road.
Tears fell down my cheeks as I witnessed the devastation my neighbor has rendered upon the land. This farmer and his son have planted cover crops as can be seen in the background of the destroyer machine, but to have such disregard for the living trees and shrubs is beyond my comprehension. I am working on a way to talk to him but I have to first work on my anger and pain to be able to approach him in a kindly manner.
From time to time I give presentations to groups around the United States. In my power point presentations, I show pictures like these to help people understand that slash and burn does not take place only in the jungles of the Amazon. It takes place in the 640 acre section where I live.
There can be hope for the future if humans wake up to the reality of our destruction of the land, water and creatures. Please read this wonderful Substack by Larry Stone to gain a full appreciation of what a change of language could do to change humans attitudes about land.
These are horrifying times. I am grateful that there are still organic farmers out there who care and are willing to express their deep feelings on the subject. So thank you for that.
So frustrating! Thank you for putting words to it, Denise.