Meetings will be held in western, central and eastern Iowa this week to give Iowans a chance to say what they want Iowa to look like in the future. The focus of the meetings will be on the preservation and use of one of our state’s most valuable natural resources — the rich soil.Phillip Baumel is an economics professor at Iowa State University who is helping organize this week’s meetings to discuss Iowa’s land and the environment. Baumel says there are many options and opinions about what should be done with the state’s farmland — keep it in agriculture, develop it for homes and businesses, or use it for recreation.Baumel says he expects the panels will hear from farmers, environmentalists, developers, realtors, legislators and others. These meetings are a follow up to a recent study on how Iowans want land used in the state.The first meeting is Tuesday at the Hitchcock Nature Area Lodge near Council Bluffs. Thursday’s meeting is at the Holiday Inn/Davenport. Friday, the meeting is at the West Des Moines Marriott. All three run from 9 a-m until 3:15 p-m and are open to anyone.
