NEW HARTFORD, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a family farmer, created a social media series called #CornWatch that gave followers an insider look at farming operations and tracked the progression of the corn crop grown on the Grassley family farm in New Hartford, Iowa from planting through harvest. The series concludes for the year this week.
“Food doesn’t grow in supermarkets. It grows in the fields of Rural America by hardworking, dedicated farmers. The purpose of my #CornWatch series was to highlight how this small percentage of Americans does the work and is dedicated to feeding and also fueling the world.
“In Iowa, agriculture accounts for one out of every five jobs and makes up 33 percent of the state’s economy. However, only two percent of all Americans work directly on farms. The process of seeing a crop through from beginning to end is one that many never have an opportunity to see, including most of my colleagues in Washington. My hope is that everyone was able to learn more about farming through the #CornWatch series and how important it is to the country’s success.”
As one of only two farmers in the Senate and the senior senator of one of the top agricultural states in the country, Grassley has been an outspoken advocate for farmers and Rural America. He has consistently called for a new Farm Bill that would include commonsense reforms to ensure federal assistance only goes to farmers who truly need it instead of millionaire non-farmers gaming the system.
Grassley has also been a proponent of reforms to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The program’s intended purpose is to reduce land erosion, improve water quality and help wildlife populations. However, over the years it has put young and beginning farmers at a competitive disadvantage by allowing some landowners to receive more than $300 per acre from the federal government to enroll their entire farms in the program.
To see the #CornWatch series in its entirety, click here.
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