• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Politics / Govt / Ag Secretary candidates discuss organic farming

Ag Secretary candidates discuss organic farming

October 14, 2006 By admin

The two major party candidates for State Agriculture Secretary differ on the proper approach to organic farming.

Republican Bill Northey is a corn and soybean farmer, while Democrat Denise O’Brien and her husband raise poultry and grow apples and strawberries using organic farming practices. “It’s the most successful part and profitable part of agriculture and we should be able to give people the opportunity to raise those crops,” O’Brien says. “We live in the Midwest where we have a regional food system that we can supply large amounts of fruits and vegetables to a market that there’s a demand for. We are not meeting currently in this country the demand for organic products, of fruits and vegetables and of milk.”

O’Brien says government regulations should require buffer strips between a field where genetically-modified seeds have been planted and an organic farmer’s field so the pollen from those GMO plants doesn’t “contaminate” the organic crop.

Northey opposes government restrictions on where those genetically-modified seeds can be planted. “I don’t think it’s the responsibility of a neighboring farmer to an organic farmer to not plant biotech crops if they want to. These are crops that have been tested nationally, millions of dollars have been spent on (testing). They’re safe,” Northey says. “The contamination is just a market question (and has) nothing to do with safety.”

An “organic food” designation is denied crops grown near fields where pollen that might drift over from plants that sprouted out of genetically-modified seeds. The two candidates made their comments Friday during an appearance on Iowa Public Television.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Politics / Govt

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

Drake’s Roman Penn lost for the season

Drake’s DeVries named to Naismith watch list

State wrestling opens with limited attendance

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC