New frontiers in agriculture will require more workers
My earliest experience with corn harvest came when I was 2 or 3. I was riding in the corn wagon as my parents were bouncing ears of corn off the high bang board. Sometimes their aim was low and I took a round from incoming. Perhaps there are some of you who will suspect this early experience affected my reasoning power. So be it.
It is Sunday as I write this. I decided to go out to our corner store. It is a gathering place for such occasions. On my way I was hung up at a railroad crossing. A string of tank cars stretched back for a couple miles. That gave me a wait that lasted several minutes. That was no problem. I wasn’t in a hurry. The thought that did come to mind, however, was, “What a waste.”
We all have our own agendas. I am sure a farmer dealing with his banker or trying to come up with his up-front cash rent payment does not share mine. I have total sympathy for them. They have seemingly been jacked around, even by the politicians they supported in the expectation that their interests would be served.
Yet with much of the world suffering from hunger I do wonder how we can justify 60% of our state’s major crop, corn, being converted into motor fuel. It makes no sense.
Corn lacks three amino acids that limit its value in human nutrition. These are lysine, methionine and tryptophan. The most important of these is lysine.
Nearly 60 years ago corn breeders did develop corn varieties that had a higher lysine content. The kernels of these varieties were damaged by harvest machinery, so they were abandoned.
Iowa State University has a facility called the Leopold Center. Why can’t the mission of this facility be expanded to develop corn varieties that have an amino acid profile similar to skim milk? These varieties could be exported to places that would have greater opportunities to become self-sufficient.
There are also plants that might have medicinal value. Exploring these possibilities could also be added to Leopold’s mission.
Of course, it is probable that the yields of these varieties would be lower than the single cross hybrids that are now being pushed to yields that approach 300 bushels per acre. Do the math. Converted to ethanol, a bushel of corn would generate perhaps $13, assuming a gasoline price of $2.50 a gallon. The balanced amino acid varieties might be worth $56 a bushel. Yields would probably be similar to those realized by the open pollinated varieties of the pre-hybrid years.
This program would have a much higher labor requirement that might match that of those years when I was dodging ears in that corn wagon.
I won’t even get into hemp. It has tremendous potential to perhaps replace the trees used to make paper. It might provide a replacement for plastics. It would be highly desirable as a replacement for the synthetic fabrics used in clothing. It would require a substantial investment in research to achieve these goals.
What is the common denominator if we are really serious about realizing the economic potential of our state? It is the labor that will be needed to bring them to fruition. Perhaps we shouldn’t be raiding places to throw out those who are willing to work. It would make more sense to hold a parade in their honor.
Alan J. Oppedal, Ruthven
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Anti-Republican letters follow a pattern
After reading a letter printed in the Register recently, here are my suggestions for getting a letter published.
1. Pick a topic about kids, such as education.2. Lament the decline in the state’s ranking.3. Provide no statistics such as from the National Center for Education Statistics. (That would show a decline in math scores since 1996.)4. Blame the decline on programs promoted by Republicans that really have no bearing on problem (dress code, vaccination skepticism).5. Don’t mention other wastes of resources such as DEI.6. Ignore the big decline in scores during the Biden years.7. Add a wise quote by a Founding Father (who was probably privately educated).8. Throw in a quote by Trump that probably was an offhand remark (many of these).
So, if you want to solve a problem, why craft a dialogue that is incorrect, omissive and antagonistic?
Maybe you just want to get your name in print.
Frank Hayer, Adel
Three-strikes bill is well-intentioned, but we can make it better
As a pastor, I know God doesn’t gloss over wrongdoing. And as someone formerly incarcerated, I believe prison sentences are often necessary. In fact, I wouldn’t be the man I am today had I not served time. And like anyone, I want to raise my family in a community that’s truly safe for everyone.
The Iowa House of Representatives rightly wants to ensure that those who repeatedly harm others are held accountable. But mandatory sentencing increases for repeat convictions should be carefully tailored. Instead, Iowa House File 2542 broadens current law to include some misdemeanors like theft and drug possession, and it greatly increases minimum sentences for these individuals from three years to 20 years.
Another view: Three-strikes proposal would hurt Iowa more than it’d help | Opinion
A punishment should fit the crime. House File 2542 would lead to unjustly harsh sentences, undermining the dignity of people made in the image of God — and it’s unlikely to make our communities safer.
Iowa’s Department of Corrections facilities are already overcrowded by about 24%. This bill would result in further crowding, making facilities less safe.
Every person serving time is unique, and their crimes run the gamut. Let’s not put violent crimes in the same category as nonviolent misdemeanors. Instead, let’s fix House File 2542 and commit to policies that reflect justice, accountability, and human dignity.
Quovadis Marshall, Waterloo
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Three-strikes bill is well-intentioned, but can be better | Letters
