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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Dispatches from the Fields: The risks of farming for 'non-farmers' No government disaster assistance for alternative farmers in Iowa	Ariane Lotti	22 Jul 2008	Gristmill
In 'Dispatches from the Fields,' Ariane Lotti and Stephanie Ogburn, who are working on small farms in Iowa and Colorado this season, share their thoughts on producing real food in the midst of America's agro-industrial landscape. ----- Now that Iowa has started to dry out from record flooding, farmers are looking to their fields and feeling the uncertainty of this year's crop. For conventional commodity crop farmers, that feeling is fleeting; they can breathe a sigh ...
Topics: agriculture, CSAs, food, Iowa, severe weather (all these topics)

Crisis and opportunity in the farm belt Sen. Grassley: Screw conservation, let's grow more corn!	Tom Philpott	02 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Here in the U.S., our grocery bills are rising faster than they have since Gerald Ford bumbled about the Oval Office. Across the globe, the recent surge in crop prices is putting sufficient food out of reach of millions of people. The dismal human dimension of the food crisis has been amply (if sporadically) covered by the media. But its budding ecological component has gotten short shrift. The price surge has inspired a virtual tsunami of agrichemicals to be spilled on ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, industrial ag, Iowa, severe weather (all these topics)

There will be flood The Midwest will suffer if we don't change our approach to flood protection	Guest author	23 Jun 2008	Gristmill
This is a guest essay by Mary Kelly, the head of Environmental Defense Fund's rivers and deltas program. ----- We've heard a lot this week about how the floods in the Midwest might be an act of humans -- or an act of City Council, as one Iowan leader put it. We can start the futile cycle of fighting Mother Nature again if we want to: spend billions of dollars on levees and flood control infrastructure, encouraging development of river floodplains and low-lying wet ...
Topics: climate, climate change impacts, Iowa, severe weather (all these topics)

When We Reign, It Pours Humans have a hand in Midwest flooding		19 Jun 2008	News
Posted at 8:41 AM on 19 Jun 2008 Photo: Mark Hirsch How much responsibility do humans have for the floods disastrously deluging the Midwest? Of course the rain poured for days, but it fell on plowed-up prairies, drained fields, altered streams, no-longer-wetlands, and developed flood plains -- all unable to absorb precipitation to the best of their natural ability. Between 2007 and 2008, more than 160,000 acres of Iowa land (mostly ...
Topics: agriculture, Iowa, Missouri, news, placemaking, severe weather (all these topics)

After the deluge As Midwest floods recede, what's being washed into the groundwater?	Tom Philpott	16 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Flooded road in eastern Iowa. Photo: Dan Patterson Things are grim in Iowa, arguably the epicenter of global industrial food production. If Iowa were a nation, it would be the globe's second-largest corn producer, behind only China. The state leads the U.S. [PDF] in the production of corn, hogs, and eggs, and ranks number two in soybeans.In short, it's a rotten place for a massive, flood-inducing early-summer deluge. Of the state's 99 counties, 24 have been ...
Topics: agriculture, climate, climate change impacts, health, industrial ag, Iowa, severe weather (all these topics)

Typical bicoastal blather An Iowa chef takes issue with Time's Joel Stein	Kurt Michael Friese	16 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Regarding the article Tom mentioned yesterday, Joel Stein's Time article, 'Extreme Eating': while Mr. Stein is of course free to eat whatever type of food he chooses, I must take exception to his contention that 'Dodd was basically telling the Iowans that every night they should decide whether to accompany their pork with creamed corn, corn on the cob, corn fritters or corn bread. For dessert, they could have any flavor they wanted of fake ice cream made from soy ...
Topics: agriculture, food, Iowa, local food (all these topics)

How will climate play out in an Obama v. McCain race? Will climate wash out as an issue or help the greener candidate?	David Roberts	04 Jan 2008	Gristmill
If we end up with an Obama v. Romney/Giuliani/Thompson race, the green dynamic will be simple. The guy who wants to do something about global warming vs. the guy who prefers the energy status quo. But if, as I'm now (wildly and irresponsibly) predicting, it's an Obama v. McCain race, the dynamic shifts in some interesting ways. If you're a pessimistic sort, you might guess that McCain's early and courageous advocacy on climate change will neutralize the climate issu ...
Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Iowa, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

The Dem primary endgame The candidacy is Obama's to lose	David Roberts	03 Jan 2008	Gristmill
One hesitates to predict anything in a race this mercurial. But I think it's Obama's to lose at this point. Hillary's pitch was always "experience" and (left unstated) inevitability. It was never the experience that made her inevitable, though. It was something more like Dem voters' loss aversion. She has always been the Establishment Dem -- the known quantity. She didn't inspire people, but she was a safe pick, a model voters understand. She could get to ...
Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Hillary Clinton, Iowa, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

Iowa called Huckabee and Obama have it	David Roberts	03 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Sounds like they've called the Iowa caucuses. Huckabee's the huge winner on the R side, with Romney an anemic second. Obama got a very narrow win on the D side (35%), with Edwards and Clinton effectively tied for second with 31%. Interestinger and interestinger. UPDATE: OK, the final looks like 37% Obama, 30% Edwards, and 29% Clinton. Clinton only won a single age group: 65+ Obama overwhelmingly won the under-30 crowd, which turned out in record numbers. The tota ...
Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Hillary Clinton, Iowa, Mike Huckabee, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

Iowa	David Roberts	03 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Nervous.
Topics: elections, Iowa, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

Survey says ... Two thirds of likely caucus voters in Iowa think conservation more important than coal	Sean Casten	02 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, the Iowa Farmers Union, and Plains Justice have just completed a survey (PDF) in advance of tomorrow's caucuses. Short version: Iowans think that we've squandered chances to do something meaningful about energy, and that it's time we started to do so before building new coal plants. The executive summary is below the fold, but it's worth having a look at the whole presentation.A scientific, phone-based survey conducted by Opi ...
Topics: coal, elections, energy, energy efficiency, Iowa, politics, presidential race 08, renewable energy (all these topics)

Meat Wagon: Get it while it's hot Avoid burgers in Texas, Hillary gets charred for CAFO ties, and more	Tom Philpott	31 Dec 2007	Gristmill
In Meat Wagon, we round up the latest outrages from the meat industry. In a proper finale to an E. coli-tainted 2007, the USDA has issued a public-heath alert regarding 14,800 pounds of stolen hamburger meat down in Texas. Get this: the hot meat is 'thought to be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.' By my calculations, there is enough of the tainted stuff floating around Texas to produce no fewer than 74,000 quarter pounders. Texas Grist readers, don't say you we ...
Topics: agriculture, food, health, Hillary Clinton, industrial ag, Iowa, politics, Texas (all these topics)

Dubuque's Not Bluffing An Iowa river town develops a real relationship with the Mississippi	Sarah van Schagen	20 Dec 2007	Grist Feature
"The care of rivers is not a question of rivers, but of the human heart." -- Tanaka Shozo Arriving in Dubuque, Iowa, is a bit disorienting. After passing acres and acres of the heartland's flat soybean and cornfields, you suddenly come upon a small city (pop. 60,000) with a surprising landscape. Gazing east to west, you see the muddy Mississippi meandering sou ...
Topics: Iowa, Mississippi River, placemaking, urban planning (all these topics)

Hillary Clinton frets publicly about CAFOs What must the 'Rural Americans for Hillary' think of this?	Tom Philpott	14 Dec 2007	Gristmill
Days after naming a high-profile champion of factory-style animal farms as co-chair of "Rural Americans for Hillary," Hillary Clinton backtracked a little yesterday. She expressed wan and tepid concern about the environmental and social effects of concentrated-animal feedlot operations (CAFOs). She told the Des Moines Register she would support "local control" over how CAFOs are regulated -- meaning that states and counties would be able to instit ...
Topics: industrial ag, agriculture, politics, elections, presidential race 08, Hillary Clinton, Iowa (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: A flood of coverage A recap of our week on the river	Sarah van Schagen	29 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Huckleberry Wroth and I survived our travels down the Mississippi last week, and we've now returned to our respective coasts to reflect on everything we learned. I must say, visiting three cities in seven days is no lazy float down the river -- we covered a lot of ground. Here's a recap:In Dubuque, we: Chatted with the charming mayor, Roy D. Buol. Lunched with city leaders at a conference led by the American Institute of Architects' Sustainable Design Assessmen ...
Topics: Iowa, Mississippi River, Missouri, placemaking, Tennessee (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: The end of the road On politics, ponyshoes, and PBR	Katharine Wroth	28 Oct 2007	Gristmill
All good things must come to an end, and the Gristissippi Road Trip is one of them. Sarah and I wrapped up our enlightening week of interviews and explorations with a visit to Beale Street (fried pie, yum!) and a beer with a Gristmill fan. As we recuperate from the trip in our respective cities, collecting our thoughts and notes for the more in-depth features to follow, I thought I'd throw down a few of the things I learned along the way. Seven, in fact, one for each ...
Topics: placemaking, Mississippi River, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: Tax thyself Guess what happens when communities cough up cash?	Katharine Wroth	24 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Earlier today, we met with three folks from the Great Rivers Greenway District in St. Louis. Their organization owes its very existence to a voter-approved one-tenth of one cent sales tax that generates $10 million each year. As a result, they've been able to complete about 100 miles of trails and greenways in a 1,216-square-mile area over the last few years, and have plans to create a network of 500 miles more. Not all of their financing comes from the sales tax, bu ...
Topics: Missouri, Mississippi River, Iowa, placemaking, education (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: Same trip, different rivers Reflections on a changing river	Sarah van Schagen	24 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Having spent three days on the Mighty Mississip, I am beginning to see just how mighty it is. In Dubuque, we experienced a river that seemed to meander at a manageable pace. We saw a riverfront plaza with steps leading right into the water, and walked down the steps to reach out our hands to touch the water. It was idyllic and calming. The river here in St. Louis is an entirely different beast, meeting up with several major tributaries -- the Illinois, the Missou ...
Topics: Iowa, Mississippi River, placemaking, Missouri (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: So long, Dubuque ... ... we're off to St. Louis	Katharine Wroth	23 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Despite the whirlwindiness of our visit to Dubuque, Sarah and I feel like we got a good picture of the work that's going on there. It helped to have a view from the country's shortest, steepest railroad: We'll write about all of this in more detail later in the fall. But for now, it's off to the glories of St. Louis ... bigger city, same river. Stay tuned.
Topics: placemaking, Iowa, Mississippi River (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: Driving Miss Doris Exploring Dubuque by boat	Sarah van Schagen	23 Oct 2007	Gristmill
What floats our boat? Um, we're not quite sure, but that didn't stop us from taking the helm like two river rats making our way downstream. Thanks to the (very Dubuque) hospitality of Trish McDonald and her "chick boat" Doris Day, we were fortunate enough to spend the day out on the Mississippi River.Trish took us on the grand tour as we sped down to the locks and dam, meandered through Ice Harbor, and puttered past ginormous barges waiting to fill up wit ...
Topics: placemaking, Iowa, Mississippi River (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: Quote of the day Granted, it's early yet	Katharine Wroth	23 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Just met with Laura Carstens, planning services manager for Dubuque. The money quote: 'For years, we turned our back on the river. Now we're making it our front door.'Later today, Sarah and I will get out on the river for the first time. The tourist riverboat stopped running this weekend because the weather turned, but yesterday one of our sources called a friend with a boat. The friend agreed to pick us up this morning and take us for a ride. And that right there te ...
Topics: Mississippi River, Iowa, placemaking, quotables (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: We're not in Seattle anymore ... or Kansas, for that matter	Katharine Wroth	23 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Here's what the sign says on the back of the bathroom door in our hotel: Hotel Laws of IowaFixing, Limiting, and Determining the Liability of Keepers of Hotels, Inns, Eating-Houses, and Steamboat Owners to Inmates Thereof.Sorry, was that ... steamboat owners? Holy crap.
Topics: green living, placemaking, Mississippi River, Iowa (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: America's river Exploring Dubuque's riverwalk, tourist-style	Sarah van Schagen	22 Oct 2007	Gristmill
While Katharine spent the day getting free lunch and talking to city planners, I spent my day exploring what, exactly, all those city planners have spent all their time planning. Namely, the America's River project I mentioned earlier today. I toured the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium with Teri Goodmann, the director of national advancement for the museum and, as it happens, a fairly knowledgeable Mississippi River fish enthusiast. (Did you know ...
Topics: Iowa, Mississippi River, placemaking (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: SDAT thing you do A meeting of the minds in the Masterpiece on the Mississippi	Katharine Wroth	22 Oct 2007	Gristmill
There's no free lunch -- unless you happen to be a Grist reporter crashing a sustainability conference in Dubuque. I showed up, hungry, for a 12 p.m. presentation by City Manager Mike Van Milligen that was kicking off a three-day Sustainable Design Assessment Team visit. I was rewarded not only with more inspiring examples of this city's initiatives, but with a sandwich.Let me back up a little. Dubuque -- which, as Sarah said, is turning out to be a more progressive ...
Topics: placemaking, Iowa, Mississippi River (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: Buol market A morning meeting with the mayor of Dubuque	Sarah van Schagen	22 Oct 2007	Gristmill
I wish I could tell you I wrote this from atop a log raft while floating down the Mighty Mississippi, but sadly the wifi access out there ain't so mighty. Instead, I'm sitting at a table inside the Grand Harbor Resort and Conference Center complex, which is part of the $188 million riverfront development project here in Dubuque, Iowa, our first of three stops during our week traveling The Great River. The development project -- and the National Mississippi River ...
Topics: placemaking, Iowa, Mississippi River (all these topics)

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