IARA presentation at the Iowa City Public Library 11-13-24
Factory Farms, Your Health and the Cancer Connection
“The Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture (IARA) is a diverse coalition of community, state, and national, organizations who are concerned about the harmful impacts of factory farms and are each working to promote traditional and ethical agriculture in Iowa. Our Mission Statement: The Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture seeks to educate Iowans about the destructive impacts of industrial livestock production, advocate for a statewide factory farm moratorium, and promote traditional and humane livestock production.”
This event took place at the Iowa City Public Library.
“Iowa ranks second in the nation for cancer cases and it’s the only state where cancer rates are rising. Last year the Iowa Cancer Registry’s report pointed a finger at binge drinking. But Iowa water is loaded with nitrates and other toxins, and Iowans are exposed to a wide range of harmful agrichemicals liberally used throughout the state. The cancer/industrial agriculture connection should not be shunted aside.
Water quality expert Dr. Chris Jones, public health expert Audrey Tran Lam, registered dietician and public health advocate Mary Jo Forbord and Field to Family’s Michelle Kenyon examines how our current agricultural practices are harming human health and ways to access cleaner, healthier, environmentally-friendly local foods.”
Overview – Diane Rosenberg
06:32 Dr. Chris Jones – How nitrates get into waterways
23:21 Audrey Tran Lam – Impacts of nitrates on health
36:47 Mary Jo Forbord – Agrochemicals and health
51:31 Dr. Chris Jones – Why Iowa isn’t changing
56:33 Michelle Kenyon – Accessing healthy, safe foods
1:09:48 Questions and Answer Session
1:29:11 Diane Delozier Lahr – Action Steps
Blog For Iowa 
Hi Trish,
I always deeply appreciate your covering IARA’s and JFAN’s work!
Best,
Diane
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HI Diane,
You are welcome and we thank you for your work!
Trish
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I talked with a smart experienced Iowa Statehouse lobbyist many years ago, a good person who lobbied for good groups, but a political realist. He told me that the Iowa Statehouse will not take water quality seriously as an issue until they see an Iowa legislator lose an election because that legislator is on the wrong side of the water issue, meaning that the reason for the election loss is clearly and obviously because that legislator did not support clean water.
What I was seeing at the Statehouse back then, and have always seen before and since, is that Iowa legislators pay no real political price for failing to support clean water. This last election, in which water quality wasn’t even considered an important-enough issue to be part of the Iowa Democratic campaign strategy, was the most painful example yet. I now (reluctantly) believe that lobbyist was right.
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