Visions of Iowa

from the Practical Farmers of Iowa...


Our Vision for Iowa

Food that is celebrated
for its freshness
and flavor
and connection
to local farmers
to seasons
to hard work
and good stewardship

Farms that are prized
for their diversity
of crops and livestock
their wildlife and healthy soils
their innovations, beauty and productivity
their connection to a rich past
and a fulfilling present
where individuals and families
are earning a good living


Communities that are alive
with diverse connections
between farmers and non-farmers
places where commerce, cooperation, creativity
and spirituality are thriving;
places where the working landscape, the fresh air
and the clean water remind us of all that is good about Iowa

Advance in the Direction of a Dream

Hello Folks,

I read this today and was encouraged so I wanted to share it with you:

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
-Henry David Thoreau

Since moving from metro NYC back to our Midwest roots and becoming middle-aged beginning organic farmers, my husband and I have been surprised by how hard it all is. It has been our dream, for a healthy life for ourselves and our children, that sustains our endeavor to homestead here on the prairie.

I took these pictures in my neighborhood here in Central Iowa. It is a Victorian one room school house that some farmers voluntarily maintain, I think as a tribute to the remarkable spirit that settled these parts.

I drive past this one room schoolhouse on the way to my kids' school so it makes me think about their education and future, and how it would compare with the children who attended this building. I am always moved when I see the silhouette a lonely building cuts in the immensity of our prairie horizon here too. It makes me think of how vulnerable and small humans are in the face of the natural elements and time.

Nothing like having children to make us think about humanity's vulnerability, and our own inability to control as much as we would like, eh?