Categories
Kitchen Garden

First Day in the Garden

Frost in the ground.

After struggling to get the fork into a pile of grass clippings, I gave up for the day. Everything was frozen solid, even after a few days with ambient temperatures well above freezing. Highs in the 40s and 50s are forecast the rest of the week. Maybe I will accomplish my goal of clearing one plot this week to use as temporary storage. Not that day, though.

I am in the garden way early this year, so there is time for preseason work. I seeded the first indoor trays last Saturday and by Tuesday some of the varieties already had leaves. I hope they all germinate by this Saturday when I prepare the next tray of seedlings. Warming pad space is at a premium the next eight weeks.

When we moved to Big Grove Township there were scrub grasses and a lone mulberry tree on the vacant lot we purchased. The tree appeared to have been planted by a bird’s droppings while it perched on a surveyor’s re-bar marker. The ground had a high clay content which suggested the farmer who made his farm into a subdivision had removed the topsoil before selling plats.

From that clay I built soil in a garden that now occupies one fourth of the 0.62 acres we own. When I started, the first plots were small with a large grass border around them. Today I can’t get the mower between the plots to cut foxtail grasses and other weeds that grow there. I got big after working on a vegetable farm for eight years, bringing home the skills and techniques I learned there. After years of expansion, it seems time to bring order to what I do. This is likely why I am outdoors in the garden the second week of February.

We did not set out to build habitat when we moved here. The decision to site the house closer to the north property line — as opposed to in the center — mattered more than I knew. Placement of the foundation determined what remained open, how wind would move, where trees should be planted. We were thinking of how to build additions when finances permitted. Now, a deer path runs the length of the lot on the south side of our home. When winds come from the west, there is a corridor on the north side where it sweeps through the fruit orchard, and into the back yard. Over the years wind has taken a toll on the many trees we planted here. We never built an addition, nor even a deck.

The abundance of wildlife remains mostly unseen. There have been birds of all kinds, opossums, foxes, and after many years of waiting for trees to grow, there are squirrels. There are too many deer, although by developing a path from their space in a nearby woods to an large apple orchard to the west, they mostly leave me alone.

As I contemplate today’s schedule I plan more time in the garden. Maybe the dead vegetation will have loosened enough to move it. Maybe not. In either case, there is plenty of time for preseason garden work.

Categories
Living in Society

Dooley or Jones for Secretary of Agriculture?

Susan Jutz, Carmen Black, Paul Pisarik, Bobby Kaufmann, and Bill Northey at Local Harvest CSA Sept. 24, 2015.

It may be futile to pick a candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in the June 2, Democratic primary. Running are Wade Dooley a sixth-generation farmer and Practical Farmers of Iowa member, and Chris Jones a scientist, former University of Iowa research engineer, and veteran of the Des Moines Water Works. The problem for Democrats is Republican incumbent Mike Naig is expected to win the general election.

To the extent Big Ag controls this race, Naig — a former Monsanto lobbyist — has the inside track. Whether any Democrat can overcome that advantage is an open question.

Either Dooley or Jones would be outstanding secretaries, with a focus on things that matter to all Iowans, not only farmers. There is no reason for me to pick a horse in this race in February, so I won’t. I will post the about page of the two Democrats to use as a reference and return to this topic if something newsworthy happens. In alphabetical order:

Wade Dooley

Wade Dooley is a sixth-generation Iowa farmer who has spent his life working the land along the Iowa River northwest of Marshalltown. He’s been farming since he was 14 years old, and after graduating from Iowa State University and working in the seed industry, he returned home to farm with his father on their family’s Century Farm in 2008. Over the past 18 years, Wade has focused on building a more profitable and sustainable operation, implementing conservation practices including diverse prairie restoration along the Iowa River and using no-till farming and cover crops across all his acres.

Wade believes that strong communities are built when people work together toward common goals, and he’s put that belief into action throughout his life. He currently serves on six local boards and committees, and was recently a board member of Practical Farmers of Iowa, a non-partisan organization focused on farmers helping farmers. Whether it’s speaking to local leaders about conservation practices or working with neighbors to solve problems, Wade has always believed in the power of listening to each other and finding solutions that work for everyone.

Wade is running for Secretary of Agriculture because he believes Iowa’s farmers and communities deserve leadership that puts their needs first. He’s seen firsthand how the right support can help family farms succeed and small towns thrive, and he knows the Department of Agriculture has the resources and expertise to scale solutions for communities across Iowa. As Secretary, Wade will bring a practical, results-focused approach—willing to try new ideas, measure what works, and change course when something isn’t working—while working across differences to get things done for Iowa.

Wade lives in Albion, Iowa with his wife, and they are preparing to welcome their first child.

Chris Jones

A leading advocate for environmental justice in Iowa, Chris Jones has studied the state’s water quality for decades. At the University of Iowa, he worked as a research engineer, studying contaminant hydrology in agricultural landscapes. Prior to that he worked for the Des Moines Water Works and the Iowa Soybean Association. He has a PhD in analytical chemistry from Montana State University and a BA in Chemistry and Biology from Simpson College in Indianola.

In 2023, Chris published The Swine Republic: Struggles With the Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality, which was selected by the Library of Congress as Iowa’s representative in the 2024 National Book Festival. He continues to write about water quality and related issues on Substack.

Chris was born in Monmouth, Illinois, where his father worked as a clerk for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The family returned to Iowa in 1967, where his father continued his railroad career. He spent his childhood in what was then the sleepy town of Ankeny. His mother worked as a secretary for the U.S. Postal Service, which included a stint as the secretary for the Des Moines Postmaster.

Chris has three adult daughters: a physical therapist, a statistical biologist working for the CDC, and an atmospheric chemist working in Colorado. He enjoys fishing, hunting, and tending his garden and orchard. He lives in Iowa City.

Postscript: If one blows the other out of the water on fund raising, that may influence my vote.

Categories
Sustainability

When the Last Nuclear Limits Expire, Silence Is a Choice

B-61 Nuclear Bombs

For the first time in more than half a century, the world’s two largest nuclear powers are no longer bound by a treaty limiting their strategic arsenals. Last week, New START — the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia — expired.

What does that mean? It means that even countries long considered peaceful and stable, like Canada, are now openly debating whether to break with the post-war consensus and acquire nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

This outcome is no surprise. The arms control community sounded the alarm throughout last year. Their concerns are consistent and grounded: Russia and the United States possess roughly 80 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, and without a binding arms control agreement, both nations are positioned for renewed competition in strategic forces. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, the drive to reduce — and eventually eliminate — nuclear weapons was strong, producing decades of treaties and norms. Over time, that momentum weakened, leaving us where we are today.

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley has long been skeptical of New START. In a recent email addressing the treaty’s expiration, he wrote, “I remain concerned about the effectiveness of the New START Treaty. I had reservations about the treaty when it was negotiated under President Obama and remain concerned today. From the beginning, the New START Treaty lacks the robust verification mechanisms that previous arms agreements imposed upon the Russian Federation, previously the Soviet Union.” His views reflect long-standing concerns about verification and enforcement.

While we do not agree on every point, Senator Grassley and I have maintained a dialogue on nuclear arms control going back to at least 2009. Where the senator could play a constructive role is in legitimizing concern about arms control beyond the small circle of activists who often take center stage, and into the offices where decisions about war, peace, and federal spending are actually made. I asked him directly to encourage the president to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s public proposal to extend New START for one year while a follow-on treaty was negotiated. Perhaps Senator Grassley’s influence is limited. Still, he takes arms control seriously, and that makes engagement worthwhile.

The financial consequences of abandoning arms control are also significant. According to the Congressional Budget Office, current U.S. government plans to operate, sustain, and modernize nuclear forces — and acquire new ones — would cost an estimated $946 billion between 2025 and 2034. The absence of a treaty increases pressure on nuclear states to expand or hedge their arsenals, even as both Russia and the United States pursue costly modernization programs. As nuclear budgets grow, they inevitably crowd out other national priorities.

A renewed arms race would not make us safer. The danger of unconstrained nuclear competition is not confined to Washington and Moscow. In a recent letter to the Toronto Globe and Mail, Dr. Tim Takaro of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War warned that even a limited nuclear war could leave billions dead and civilization in ruins. Deterrence, he argued, is not insurance — because failure is catastrophic. A world with more nuclear-armed states is not a safer one.

Senate Resolution 323 offers lawmakers a chance to state plainly whether they support renewed arms control or are willing to accept a future without limits. It calls on the United States to pursue new agreements with Russia and to reassert leadership in reducing nuclear risk.

When our collective resolve to pursue arms control wanes, silence itself becomes a choice. This moment calls not for resignation, but for engagement.

~ Submitted as a guest column to the Cedar Rapids Gazette

Categories
Living in Society

Close the Casino Loophole

Iowa State Capitol

Following is an email sent to my State Representative Judd Lawler on Sunday, Feb. 8. A subcommittee advanced HF 781 last week and there is debate about whether it is right for Iowa in 2026. Of course it is.

Dear Rep. Lawler,

I live in rural Solon in your district. I appreciate receiving your legislative updates and read them all. Not too many, and not too few of them. Thank you.

I am writing today to ask the House Commerce Committee take up HF 781 which was passed out of committee last week. As you know, the bill seeks to close the loophole regarding smoking in casinos left open to pass the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. 

I was on the Johnson County board of health when the law went into effect on July 1, 2008 and it was important for all the good things the law does. At the time I felt if compromise was needed to receive the positive benefits of the law, then so be it.

However, since then, there is new, discouraging information about the frequency of cancer in Iowa. Second hand smoke is a known carcinogen, and limiting or removing it from casinos is a proposal whose time is right. We owe it to casino customers and workers to do this.

When I managed some trucking fleets in Pennsylvania I brought my managers into the Philadelphia area and we visited the Trump casinos in Atlantic City one night. The air was clean inside them. The future president fought regulation of tobacco smoke inside his casinos because he felt customers would seek gambling in nearby Pennsylvania. Of course, that argument is less relevant in Iowa today since of the surrounding states, only Missouri permits tobacco use inside casinos. 

I wanted to let you know this is a long-standing issue for me. I urge you and the Commerce Committee to take up the bill before the first funnel and pass it to the floor for debate.

Thank you for reading my message and good luck this session.

Categories
Kitchen Garden

Garden Beginnings

Markers for kale, collards and chard in a tray of soil blocks on Feb. 7, 2026.

The first day’s seeding session went quickly and well. I bought soil mix and garden seeds last fall, and cleared the table I use indoors — with a heating pad and grow light — last month. Experience pays as I was able to find and put together everything else in a couple of hours on Saturday morning, producing two trays of 50 soil blocks each. Mostly, I planted cruciferous vegetables.

We’ve been saving plastic yogurt tubs and today I drilled holes in a dozen of them for an indoor herb garden. It will be a new experiment. If successful, it will have been worth trying. Bread on the water.

I’ve been looking at photographs from previous gardens and was inspired by this one to grow leeks again. We returned to leek-potato soup in the kitchen and prefer our own leeks over store bought because we understand all the inputs. I ordered a bundle of leek starts from a new to me seed company.

Garden produce in 2008.

When it is cold outdoors, I put kitchen scraps in a 5-gallon bucket in the garage until it warms and I can dump them in the composter. Because of the cold, the composter is not doing much work and is two thirds full of kitchen waste. The other garden waste composter has hardly anything in it. When I make my indoor herb garden, I won’t use garden compost in the soil mix because it hasn’t decomposed enough and therefore might be stinky.

Part of apple sorting is putting low grade ones in a pile for wildlife. By spring they will be gone. (Update: when I took the compost out on Feb. 7, 2026, they were all gone.

This year seems different in that the pace of everything from the garden to finishing my book to politics is swift and deliberate. As long as I remember who I am, I’m okay with that.

Categories
Reviews

Book Review: Bone of the Bone

Sarah Smarsh’s strongest work to date is in Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class. Her first book, Heartland, was a sensation; her second, She Come By It Naturally, fell flat for me. Smarsh’s strengths are well suited to the type of short essays in Bone of the Bone.

In 2019, I attended an event in Iowa City where Smarsh was interviewed by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz. Smarsh later wrote about this night in the essay, “In the Running,” where she described her consideration of a run for U.S. Senator from Kansas. At the time, I felt she was reserved. Reading the essay, I learned that in the green room before it started, she discussed the choice between being a writer and running for office with Schultz and husband Sherrod Brown. Brown was in Iowa exploring a presidential run, and earlier that day I heard him speak to small group of elected officials and activists about the dignity of work. Smarsh ends the essay by deciding not to run. In retrospect, her reserve that night makes sense.

When Smarsh assumes the persona of “Daughter of the Working Class,” I’m both thrilled and slightly annoyed. Thrilled because she writes from a perspective we hear too rarely: a woman who grew up poor and worked her way into public life. Annoyed because the persona sometimes feels deliberate, as if it stands between the reader and the fuller self behind it. I sensed that in Iowa City and again in this book. She makes the journey worth it.

What I admire most about Sarah Smarsh is how she integrates rural landscape, domestic life, and work into a lived sense of place. Her prose is stripped to essentials, plainspoken without being spare, and that economy draws me in. I respond to this style because it treats labor and class not as abstractions but as daily facts, shaping how people live, eat, and speak to one another. Unlike many essayists, Smarsh’s didactic impulse is present but hidden, carried by narrative rather than argument. The writing rewards our attention without insisting on agreement.

Smarsh is at the height of her writing ability in Bone on the Bone, which appeals on many levels. I highly recommend it.

Categories
Living in Society

Two Caucus Speeches

Iowa Caucus Goer

At our consolidated Democratic precinct caucuses on Feb. 2, I gave two speeches supporting candidates. Here they are, prepared for delivery.

Nate Willems, Iowa Attorney General

I’m proud to endorse Nate Willems for Iowa Attorney General.

I worked with Nate, as many of us in the room did, when he ran for Iowa House after Rep. Ro Foege retired. People in our district know him because he represented us.

For nearly 20 years, Nate has fought for workers as a labor attorney — including his recent winning of a major wage-theft case that returned millions of dollars to Iowans who had been cheated.

That record is why Nate is endorsed by former Attorney General Tom Miller and the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO.

Nate is a life-long Iowan who understands that the Attorney General’s job is about protecting victims, prosecuting violent crime, and holding powerful interests accountable.

I trust Nate Willems to do that job for Iowa.

Jon Green, current Johnson County Supervisor

I’m proud to endorse Jon Green for County Supervisor.

Jon showed up in our area, canvassed with me, and listened — which tells you exactly the kind of County Supervisor he is.

One of the hardest issues we face is the jail. Jon understands we need a solution that works for the county, for county employees, and for the people who are incarcerated there — and that means real leadership, not delay or division.

As chair, Jon has proven he can lead in difficult moments. He builds coalitions, believes in transparency and debate, and makes sure every voice is heard.

At a time when local communities are often caught between state and federal pressures, Jon will stand up for this county.

We need local leaders who understand not only what the law requires, but what the people demand.

Categories
Home Life

In Mid-Winter

Before sunrise on the state park trail on Feb. 4, 2026.

It’s hard to believe half of winter is gone. Ambient temperature pushed toward freezing Wednesday afternoon, yet it didn’t quite make it. The lake remains frozen.

While I planned for it, political work on Sunday and Monday took a lot of energy. I’ve been recovering ever since. I finished the work by writing a personal note to each voter who attended caucus. The letter carrier just picked those up.

So today is a photo and a couple of paragraphs while I continue regaining energy. Life could be worse than that.

Categories
Living in Society

Hope Ahead for Iowa Democrats

Iowa Caucus Goer

Iowa Democrats have a rare opportunity for party building before the 2026 general election. Our governor is the least popular in the nation and Republican activists don’t really like their field of primary candidates, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. That includes Randy Feenstra who hails from the most conservative part of the state and is the current favorite in their gubernatorial primary. Lack of talent and personality never stopped Republicans, though.

Our neighbors in Minnesota are largely driving the opportunity I see. People just don’t like how federal agents are on the streets terrorizing U.S. citizens. Dislike is turning into action with more public demonstrations against the Trump and Reynolds administrations during the last year than I can count. Led by large, national groups, as well as by locals, millions of people across the country are being activated in the political process, including in Iowa. Not only are people participating in demonstrations and direct action, some of them showed up at our party caucus for the first time on Feb. 2.

I served as site leader for seven precinct caucuses and going in, I knew no one from my precinct who planned to attend. We did manage 32 people for seven precincts. I was surprised when three voters I did not know appeared in my group.

With the City of Solon’s annexation of a large, new subdivision, when the precinct lines were redrawn after the 2020 U.S. Census, we gained some neighbors. To a person, those who caucused with us were trying it out to see what local Democratic politics is about. That has been rare in my political life and is the reason for my optimism about party-building. I had to tap the deep well of memory to remember why we have precinct caucuses and explain the statewide process meaningfully.

I don’t know the future of Iowa politics, but Democrats are on the cusp of something big. The first step is to recognize the opportunity. Do that and hope remains for Iowa politics.

Categories
Writing

Work Strategy 2026

Detail of Microsoft keyboard.

It was Bill Gates while at Microsoft who said when he had a major project, he stored relevant stuff away and didn’t look at it. Then, when it was time, he focused all attention on that task and saw it through to completion. The benefit of the approach was loose ends tended to get sorted out in the waiting period. While busy for a short duration, the process made less work in the end. This was my approach to preparing for my role as a site manager in the 2026 Democratic Precinct Caucuses. The caucus was last night and I began preparation the day before. It was plenty of time.

I’m no Bill Gates and in some ways, that’s a good thing. This technique can work well when properly applied. Especially in politics, it is difficult to distinguish the signal from the noise, and time and calmness can help clarify that.

We had a good group of caucus volunteers. It made things go smoothly.

Will return to the groove likely later today.