When compared to what we did previously, the beginning of the week was an entirely different beast. Instead of on-farm activities, we met with different representatives of various agricultural groups throughout Iowa. Our first stop was at Corteva Agriscience where one of its agro scientists passionately informed us of Corteva’s mission and how it was using new technology to revolutionize the seed markets. CRISPR technology enables scientists to pinpoint exactly where in the DNA they can add or subtract new traits. This means that it will be easier to dictate what traits are exhibited in a seed.
The second half of our day involved meeting with representatives from the Iowa Soybean Association and later the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Evident by their names, the focuses of these two groups are to ensure that the soybean and corn industry in Iowa remains profitable. While both groups have similar interests in mind, the Iowa Soybean Association reps certainly seemed more prepared and knowledgeable about the subject matter being presented.
The final part of our day, while not farm-related was still an integral part of our trip. Our motley crew had the honor of meeting with Dr. Angela Franklin, the president of Des Moines University and a Furman grad. This meeting’s inclusion in our itinerary was a no-brainer as Dr. Franklin is the most successful Furman alum in the entire state of Iowa.
Tuesday began similarly to Monday. At 9 am sharp we had a meeting with the Agribusiness Association of Iowa. Unlike the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Soybean Association, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa represents all agronomic interests in the state. While one of their goals is to institute cleaner and progressive farming practices all across Iowa, they believe that policy and rulemaking is not the correct avenue with which to pursue these goals.
As Iowa is a predominantly agrarian state, it makes sense that The World Food Prize Foundation’s headquarters are located in Des Moines. The brainchild of Dr. Norman Borlaug honors those who have made advancements in all things food focusing on helping those who are unable to help themselves.
While on Wednesday we also met with representatives from lobbying or activist organizations, the experience was different. Instead of meeting with so-called “big ag” supporters we met with the Practical Farmers of Iowa whose goal was to foster the career of the small farmer. Similar to the “big ag” supporters, PFI focuses on helping new farmers get into farming as well as holding field days showcasing new more environmentally friendly farming techniques. The main topic of conversation we covered was pesticide drift and how in rare cases, it can wipe out or severely reduce the yield of a farmer.
The merger of Monsanto and Bayer was also a topic directly tackled in this course.  We met with Dave Tierney, the governmental affairs director, and three other Bayer employees at one of its learning centers to talk about what Bayer Agroscience was doing in the farming world. Surprisingly the employees present did not shy away from questions concerning the whole RoundUp Ready- Monsanto debacle.