Thoughts on the Iowa Landscape

I've been involved in more conversations over the past year regarding how we could change what we do with Iowa's land than I have had most of the rest of my lifetime.  This is probably a function of my job with Pesticide Action Network, but it also has something to do with the fact that - perhaps - I might finally have enough experience to have better discussions without being dismissed outright.

Well, that's what I tell myself.

I have a dream in my head about what Iowa could become if we all put our minds to it.  But, it isn't going to happen unless we really want it.  When I tried to talk about it with one person, they said, "Oh, you want it to be the way it was in the 1930s or 1950s?"  

My answer was "yes and no."  I thought I would elaborate here with a case study that is the area around the current Genuine Faux Farm.  Why there?  Well, I know it better than most places, so why not?

GFF in 1930

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has a wonderful website where you can look at composite aerial photos of the state from several dates in history.  You can access the maps by scrolling down towards the bottom of the text on the page I linked to and taking their link to the map.  It takes a moment to get used to, but it is worth the effort.  If you want to view it and can't unlock the secrets, let me know and I will be glad to give pointers.

I thought I would grab some screenshots of the area surrounding our farm from history and show them here.  Our farm is located where the red dot is in the photo above.  You may click on the image to see a larger representation.

Things I want you to note:

1. Check out the number of different fields with a variety of crops.
2. Take note of the various farmsteads in the photo as well.
3. Notice where the darker areas are with trees.
4. Watch for waterways if you can.
   

 GFF in 1950

Here is a similar area in 1950 and you can already notice a number of changes.  I suppose I could have done a better job of trying to get the same area when I took the screen shot, but we'll work with what I have.

Field sizes have gotten a bit bigger.  The farmstead at top left has given up the area to its south for a crop of some kind - or maybe it is a hayfield?  That's hard to tell from the photo.  The trees in the East are fairly similar, though there are fewer on the East center.

GFF in 1960

Ten years later, there are a few more changes.  Field sizes are fairly similar to 1950.  There does appear to be a water way in the fields towards the bottom of the picture.  The trees in the center East appear to be confined now to a fenceline and that area appears to be tilled now.

GFF in 1970

When we get to 1970, we much more field consolidation.  The farmstead at top left is being tilled to its very edges.  An area just below the dark cluster of trees at the left was what looked like hayground or pasture is now tilled and you can see some waterway management there.  An area North of our farm that was pasture and had a couple of trees is now tilled.  There are fewer trees around all of the farmsteads.

GFF in 2018 or so

Here is a relatively recent representation.  In some ways, comparison is a bit more difficult because this one is in color while the others are not.

The farmstead at top left is gone, but you can see some of the footprint in the field where it once was.  The fields are consolidated.  There are a few grassy waterways being managed.  Only one farmstead has more, rather than less area surrounding it that is not part of a larger field.

There is a more dense stand of trees to the northeast with a clearing in that area.

These pictures span ninety years, so you we probably should expect to see some changes.  And, there is fifty years between the 1970 aerial and the recent satellite image.  But, I think you can still appreciate the scope of the change between 1930 to 1970 versus the differences between the 1970 and 2017 (or so) image.  

What Would I Like?

I would certainly agree that we would live better on our landscape and have healthier farms and people on those farms if we supported more diverse cropping systems, which would manifest itself in the forms of either more field borders OR strips of different crops in our larger fields.  I also believe that those who live on farmsteads should have the opportunity to have a bit more untilled land around them - rather than having to feel like they must make every square inch pay off in dollars and cents.

In that way, I would like to see some movement back to 1930 (or even 1970).

We need small grain crops and hayfields and pasture land and orchards.  We need diverse farms that have a mix of crops, woodlots and animals. 

But, we need to do better than just go back to our past land use habits.

We need trees, bushes and grasses in the fence rows and we need habitat plantings that double as snow drift catchers by the roadsides.  

We need to stop thinking in terms of squares and rectangles and start thinking in terms of contours and features of the land.

We need to re-establish some of the "pothole" ponds that we spent so much time draining prior to 1930 so we have more wildlife areas and more opportunities to catch heavy rains and allow it to seep into a our groundwater supplies rather than running downstream to the Gulf of Mexico.

We need buffer strips that can double as turn-around areas and access lanes for equipment, while also providing some natural habitat, a preventative against wind erosion and a potential catch for unintended herbicide drift.

So, yes, I want some of what the 1930s and the 1950s had.

But, I want more, too.

When someone mentions to me that it would be nice if we returned to how we farmed in the 1930s, I remind them of when the Dustbowl occurred.  Just because it was a time in the past, it doesn't mean it was a time that we, as humans, did a particularly good job with how we farmed and dealt with nature.

Perhaps, I am odd and maybe you don't agree with me.  But, I hope you will at least consider the potential.

I have a vision of what this state could look like.  It has a mixture of corn fields and oak savannas.  There are prairie segments and soybeans.  Cows dot the landscape in a rolling pasture area and a small wooded lot surrounds a restored pond.  A small field of sunflowers isn't far from alfalfa that just had its second cutting and a wild area supports pheasants, meadowlarks and even provides foragers with an opportunity for different types of foods - in fact, it is rumored there are morel mushrooms there.  Every community has more than one farmer who raised produce and sells eggs.  Streams run clear and the wetlands host the great migrations in the fall and spring.

And, it's beautiful.