Dr. Francis Thicke: Keynote Address: “The Politics of Industrial vs. Ecological Agriculture.”

Of all the speakers at the Acres Conference, I was most excited for Francis Thicke. Dr. Thicke ran on the Democratic ticket for Secretary of Agriculture in Iowa in the last election. He lost to Bill Northey, the incumbent, and former president of the National Corn Growers’ Association. When I first read his bio during election season, I was elated that a farmer like Thicke would even be on the ticket. Iowa farmers, like farmers everywhere, are generally innovative, educated, responsible stewards, but the industry standards and agricultural policies they work under do not demand (or really even assist or appreciate) that aspect of farming. Thicke, a life-long farmer, runs a pasture-based, organic, 80-cow dairy in Southeastern Iowa and sells all of his milk within a 4-mile radius. He has won awards from the Sierra Club, Practical Farmers of Iowa, and the Leopold Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. He has his PhD in Agronomy, and has served on many state and federal agricultural committees. Had he won the race, I probably would have moved back to Iowa immediately (they say Iowa’s largest export is not corn, but college graduates, but I digress).

Thicke’s talk at the Acres Conference included a concise reinforcement of the relatively dismal state of agriculture, but offered some reasons why sustainable agriculture will continue to grow, that are not commonly discussed. First (and I may be extrapolating a bit from his precise words), industrial agriculture is obsolete in the information age. Not only do we have a better understanding of the ecology of agriculture (and access to that information), we have better ways of measuring and collecting data. Beyond that, we are more easily and immediately able to share that information with others, collaborate, and brainstorm solutions. This extends to purchasing inputs and marketing product as well. Farmers that operate outside the industrial paradigm now have the ability to search for alternative inputs, or can get inputs from a variety of places. For marketing, with easier communication and transport, farmers (again, depending on what they grow) are not chained to the traditional grain co-op. They can brand, direct market, or work with a regional label. If these sorts of options were more supported in the agricultural system, accountability, quality, and work satisfaction would likely increase, and those farmer attributes would matter a little more.

 He also gave us a virtual tour of his farm, highlighting all the renewable energy features (wind turbine, converted-electric Prius, pond-sunk geothermal pump, a cupola on his house), his creating strategies for herd rotation, getting water to the pasture, and keeping flies off the herd. His dairy also has its own processing facility, which is rare in today’s dairy (and broader agricultural) industry. Thicke is certainly a farmer and citizen that I am proud to have representing the state of Iowa, even if it’s not in an elected capacity.