By Casey Jarmes
The News-Review
SIGOURNEY – During the Feb. 16 meeting of the Keokuk County Board of Supervisors, the board spoke with Gary Iosbaker of KCED and the Sigourney City Council. Iosbaker stated that both Sigourney and the county have problems with a lack of revenue, in part due to state restrictions on tax levies, but that there was nothing they could do to change the goals of the state government. He stated that, in the long term, the community needs to bring in young families. Iosbaker stated that the county loses 50-100 people each year and that the county population is getting older. He stated this depopulation is happening because agriculture has changed, allowing for large scale farming to be carried out.
Iosbaker mentioned a conference he attended that discussed regenerative farming techniques, which he sees as a path for small farms to get more money per acre. He stated that, by fostering small farms, the county can bring in young families with kids, who populate schools and lay down roots. He noted that farming is an unstable market, but suggested tying processing, marketing and distribution together with production to introduce stability, shorten the supply chain, and keep money in the area.
Supervisor Mike Hadley questioned if this was doable on a scale that would make a difference. He stated that they need to figure out what 20-30-year-olds want so they can get growth in that age group. Auditor Christy Bates noted that farming is expensive to get into unless coming from a generational farm. Iosbaker stated that rotational farming lowers the barrier to entry. Hadley stated that there was no money in what Iosbaker was talking about, and that the county needs to enhance the environment and create a sense of opportunity. He stated the answer would have to be multifaceted.
Bates stated that people want to live outside of cities and work from home. Iosbaker stated that people want to move to a community where they are safe, kids play under street lights at night, they are proud of the basketball team, and don’t have to lock doors. He said people want places with good schools and things for them and their children to do. Hadley stated it’s hard to sell a rural lifestyle to someone who hasn’t experienced it. Supervisor Kevin stated that regenerative farming was becoming popular online.
Supervisor Daryl Wood stated that agriculture technology has advanced so much that big farmers can handle thousands of acres of crops or thousands of pigs. Weber stated that even big farmers are struggling and have to continually get bigger to stay afloat. Iosbaker claimed that farmers are practically indentured servants to distributors. Wood stated he agreed with Iosbaker about farms changing, but didn’t know how to go back. Iosbaker stated that they needed to figure out, if they don’t want to be victims. Hadley stated that small farmers could go the “way of the blacksmith.”
During the Feb. 23 meeting, Wood noted that the rock budget for road repairs made up the bulk of the Rural Basic Fund. He stated that, with rising costs, the county would either have to find more money, use less rock, or find some other solution. County Engineer Andy McGuire noted that he had made the road department more efficient in recent years, but stated he was unsure what the next big change would be. He noted that, when Hadley and Wood were first elected supervisors, rock cost $9 a ton. Currently, it costs $18. Hadley stated he was glad that they were aggressive with road work and bridge repair when he was first elected, because they couldn’t get as much done if they began today. Weber asked if the county could cut costs by owning its own rock stockpile. McGuire stated he was looking into it, but leary about such a large-scale investment.
McGuire also noted that he would be attending a subcommittee meeting in Des Moines to discuss a new bill that would allow counties to hire a consultant as their county engineer. He stated he was concerned consultants wouldn’t be as focussed on counties, due to having multiple clients. Hadley stated that he expected this to happen one day, due to there being a shortage of county engineers, and stated the shortage was because the job was too political. McGuire stated that there are good starting salaries for engineers, but that people are kept away by politics.
