Des Moines, Iowa — A central Iowa farmer is appealing to members of Iowa’s congressional delegation to develop and pass a new Farm Bill before this fall, focusing on legislation that he says is climate-smart.
Scott Henry, the owner of Longview Farms in Nevada, says farmers, consumers, and the environment would all benefit from legislation that leads the transition to more sustainable food production.
Henry grew up on the multi-generational family farm in Story County, where he grows corn and soybeans, and raises cattle. He was in Washington DC last week, meeting with Iowa’s senators and members of Congress, along with House and Senate Ag Committee staff.
Much of his farm’s corn crop was knocked flat by the powerful winds of the derecho in 2020 and Henry says they could’ve plowed it under and collected the insurance, but didn’t. Instead, they chose to use the combine, even moving forward at one-mile-an-hour, to harvest the corn off the ground.
A new Farm Bill didn’t materialize last year, and Henry is urging our elected leaders to ensure passage of a progressive measure by this fall.
Henry says that farmers and consumers shouldn’t be at odds, and he calls this a rallying cry where everyone can sit at the same table with the common goal of a sustainable future.
