Abstract
The state of Iowa is at a crossroad, with a growing and diverse population; agriculture and manufacturing are still major economic drivers; and environmental issues that have become the central focus of debate and research. Which direction should the state pursue? Charles Connerly writes about the key sectors and issues that could shape the future of Iowa in a positive way. As a small state, the population growth has been slow, with marginal increases in the minority population including Asians and Latinos. The state, however, continues to be a predominantly white state, especially in the rural areas. The importance of agriculture to the state’s economy is not just tied to the sectoral output, but also to the manufacturing sector, especially of farm machinery and equipment. The impact of agriculture continues to be felt in other ways as well through its impact on the natural resources and the environment, both within and outside of the state.
As a researcher and practitioner in Iowa, involved in community-related research on issues relating to public finance, and economic development (housing, workforce, transportation, etc.), I am especially interested in books that shed light on some of the major issues confronting the state. This book does just that. The author chronicles the history of Iowa, especially as it relates to agriculture, manufacturing, the environment, and progress in race relations and racial equity. He examines the major trends that have shaped the economic trajectory and social changes in the state of Iowa. Going back more than 150 years, the author identifies the farm sector, manufacturing, and other economic growth engines of Iowa to pinpoint key issues for the state. Combining that with diversity issues and the natural environment, he prescribes a set of policy recommendations.
The author spent part of his early years in Iowa but spent a good part of his adult life outside. Returning to Iowa about twelve years ago as an academic, he was motivated to provide an assessment of how the state had progressed. Toward that, he decided to summarize the history of the state, challenges along the way, and what would be a good path to pursue for a more prosperous and sustainable future for the state.
As a midwestern state, Iowa has witnessed relatively slow growth over the years, both demographically and economically. Its population, still predominantly white, continues to become more diverse with each passing decade. Agriculture remains a very important sector, and manufacturing continues to decline slowly. Services, especially in the financial and insurance sectors have become a growth engine and are expected to grow. Water quality challenges, recurring natural disasters, especially flooding, pose challenges to the state highlighting a need for long-term disaster management and mitigating policies. The book highlights major issues related to the aforementioned areas, their historical evolution, the response strategies, and their effectiveness thus far. The author writes this with a single purpose—how can Iowans work together so the future of the state is one where farming remains sustainable; different groups of people, white and non-white co-exist with dignity; the economy grows in ways to reduce income inequalities among different racial groups, and finally, the natural resources and environment are taken care of and preserved for future generations.
The book has five chapters. The first chapter chronicles the changes in the Iowa economy, especially affecting the state’s working and middle classes. The author identifies manufacturing through its ties to agriculture, the rise and decline of labor unions, and the decline in income and rural population as having affected the socioeconomic fabric of Iowa communities. In the two subsequent chapters, the author tracks and explains how the rise of agriculture, especially, corn and hogs has transformed farming in the state while made the ecosystem in the state and elsewhere unsustainable. He highlights the periodic natural disasters, especially flooding, and the unwillingness in political leadership to connect these to climate change as a major failure for the state. All of these continue to test the resilience of Iowa communities.
In the fourth chapter, he uses Iowa’s economy as a backdrop to focus on the tallgrass prairie states’ history of diversity and social justice in the context of a predominantly white population. The final chapter highlights the metrics used to rank states that propelled Iowa to be the best state in America (aided by high rankings in infrastructure including broadband, healthcare and education). While the author agrees with some of the measures used, he identifies several others where Iowa lags behind other states (environment and natural resources, especially water quality, and social equality though assimilating minority population into the states’ social fabric) that are necessary to include for the state to truly live up to the title of the “best state in America.”
The author makes a series of recommendations. He argues that Iowa should support and grow its middle class. Toward that he recommends that Iowa should undo its attempts to gut the rights of public employee unions, do a better job of supporting higher education, raise its minimum wage, and should make itself more attractive for recreation, the arts, and entertainment. He also suggests that Iowa should restore its water quality and increase planning for climate change. To accomplish that he recommends that Iowa should fund the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and embrace Aldo Leopold’s land ethic, and that the state should take its critical role in water quality more seriously. To address this issue successfully, Iowa, along with the federal government, will need to use subsidies to reduce nutrient pollution from agricultural sources. In addition to subsidies, Iowa will need regulations to reduce nutrient pollution. Iowa must give local governments more control over concentrated animal feeding operations. In the face of climate change, the state must once again begin to plan for adaptation while doing its best to achieve mitigation. Finally, he calls for Iowa to embrace diversity, forcefully reject racism, and promote equality.
The author succeeds in telling the story of Iowa in a simple way. The major aspects covered also confirm the broad understanding that most people have of the State—a predominantly white, farming state. It might have been beneficial to include a few tables or figures to allow the reader to examine and extract meaning from the data. Having so much data included in the narrative might force the reader to go back and forth at times to make sense of the numbers. The author also does not include much discussion of the services sector, which contributes significantly to the Iowa economy and will likely continue to do so in the future. Especially, the urban areas where there has been significant growth, both, in population and the economy. The financial and insurance services, for example, are a positive aspect as is evidenced in the growth and contributions through labor demand, income increases, and the expanding tax base.
The author combines multiple disciplines, history, sociology, economics, agriculture, environment and provides a set of recommendations that is critical for the future of Iowa. Most books tend to focus on a specific aspect, the author does well in terms of integrating the issues and taking the reader on a comprehensive journey navigating and connecting all the major aspects that are important to the state—economics, environment, and social justice.
This book is a very good resource for those studying issues related to the state of Iowa and the Midwest, in general. This includes academics; graduate and undergraduate students; practitioners including planners who engage communities across the state; state, and local officials—elected and appointed; and different stakeholder groups. It is also a valuable reference for the people of Iowa and others who have an interest in the historical evolution of different parts of the country. The book through the historical lens provides a clear understanding of how the state, its people, agriculture, industry, and natural environment have evolved. It brings to the surface the challenges that have emerged over time and how well or not, the state leadership has responded in bold and progressive ways to address them. This is especially important in terms of broadening the understanding of those who are involved in academic research and outreach work in Iowa. Written in an easy-to-read manner, the book chapters should be easily understood by everyone, irrespective of their background.