iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Pop quiz 👇 Every $1 spent on Iowa-grown foods generates $. in economic activity A) $1.47 B) $1.94 C) $2.18 D) $2.60 👉 Drop your guess in the comments. (Answer will be revealed in the comments soon!)

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

Pop quiz 👇 ___% of Iowa landowners are under age 44 A) 18% B) 12% C) 5% D) 27% Drop your guess. Answer will be revealed in the comments later.

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

There’s a word that explains a lot about modern agriculture, even if Merriam-Webster hasn’t caught up yet: chickenization. It’s what happens when animals become “widgets,” farms become factories, and power quietly shifts from thousands of farmers to a handful of corporations.

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

Chickenizing the American food system

The loss of flavor and farms, and the Iowans pushing back.

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Got a story to tell? 🗣 Share your local food success, idea, or perspective with us. We’re always looking for stories that show how food connects Iowans across the state. iowafoodsystemcoalition.org/media-submission

iowafoodsystemcoalition.org

Media Submission | Get Involved Today — Iowa Food System Coalition

Explore Iowa Food System Coalition's initiatives on land access, food development, infrastructure, and more. Join our meetings and stay connected with local food policies.

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day, we hear from two Indigenous women residing in Iowa and learn how shifting our perspective can help bring us back into balance with the natural world. Tune into the latest episode of At the Iowa Farm Table wherever you get your podcasts.

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

The Key to Ecological Healing

A celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

📍 Malvern, IA — pop. 1,000. At 65, Tom Mulholland postponed retirement to keep his small-town grocery alive. Rising supplier costs + uncertainty around SNAP threaten stores like his. Hear Tom’s story Oct 2 at 6:30 PM. 👉 RSVP: calendar.app.google/Lh5e5xPF5xpc...

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Iowa schools spend millions feeding kids — in effect, they’re the largest restaurants in the state. In this replay, we dig into the real economics of school lunch and who benefits from Iowa's school lunch dollars. Listen on Substack or wherever you get your podsattheiowafarmtable.substack.com

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

September 24 is Iowa Local Food Day, the official kick-off to Farm to School Month! See if your district is joining in, or learn how schools, early care sites, and colleges can celebrate by serving local foods this fall. 🔗iowafarmtoschoolearlycare.org/iowalocalfoodday

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

The status quo isn’t the only path. Iowa agriculture has choices. Emily Deakyne with the Diverse Corn Belt Project joined us on our most recent podcast on At the Iowa Farm Table to talk about the future of farming in Iowa. Find it wherever you get your podcasts. atttheiowafarmtable.substack.com

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

For decades, conversations about agriculture in Iowa have centered on what’s broken: water quality, consolidation, chemicals, ultra-processed food. But rarely do they lead to the bigger question: what would a better system actually look like?

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

Food Grows Iowa: A Vision for a Diverse Midwest

Listen now | Iowa’s food system has been engineered into sameness. This episode explores how diversification—of crops, markets, and farmers—could reshape the Corn Belt.

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Join us for our quarterly gathering where food leaders from across Iowa come together to exchange ideas, share stories, and build momentum for a stronger food system. This session will also focus on one of the most pressing issues facing our state: water quality. Sept 11, Zoom, 9am.

us06web.zoom.us

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Regional Food Systems Working Group + Iowa Food System Coalition Meeting - September. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining...

Join us for the September meeting for the Regional Food Systems Working Group + Iowa Food System Coalition. More information to come!

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

🚨 We’ve surpassed $400k in pledged support for Iowa’s local food system! We’re extending the Local Food Promise to keep the momentum going. Make your promise and help show what’s possible when Iowans commit to fresh, fair, and community-rooted food. 💪 IowaFoodSystemCoalition.org/Promise

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Iowa’s nitrate levels hit historic highs, forcing lawn watering bans, swim advisories, and costly cleanups. A new report confirms what many Iowans already know: agriculture is driving the problem, and solutions can’t wait. So what can you do about a challenge this big?

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

4 IDEAs to Help Our Nitrate Problem

From testing your tap to shifting what we grow, here’s how Iowans can start making change.

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

🎧 New episode drop! We head to the Iowa Quality Dairy Products Competition at the Iowa State Fair, where the stakes (and the squeaks) are high. From small-batch creameries to big-name dairies, we dig into how Iowa’s milk game is changing. Substack // wherever you get your pods

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

Iowa State Fair Showdown: Small, Squeaky, and Delicious

Dairy is often overlooked in Iowa, but is an industry on the rise in the state

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Our newest episode, “What Sweet Corn Tells Us About Iowa’s Appetite for Change” we dig into the cultural layers of Iowa’s sweet corn obsession and what its enduring popularity reveals about what eaters are willing to do (and spend) for food they believe in.

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

What Sweet Corn Tells Us About Iowa’s Appetite for Change

People don’t hustle for kale like this.

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Reposted by Iowa Food System Coalition

Little Village @littlevillage.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

When the researchers onstage at Monday's event were asked if the state has “reached a point” where “regulation is necessary," all four — and the crowd of roughly 500 — proclaimed "yes." The 200-page CISWRA report found nearly 80% of nitrate contamination in Iowa rivers comes from ag sources.

littlevillagemag.com

Hundreds gather for presentation on Polk County water quality report; researchers, crowd call for regulation - Little Village

More than 500 individuals gathered Monday to hear what comes next following the release of an in-depth water quality report commissioned by Polk County. Another 500 watched online to hear […]

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

From water quality to food hubs to hunger, At the Iowa Farm Table explores what’s working—and what’s not—in Iowa’s food system. Hosted by farmer, author, and journalist Beth Hoffman. New episodes every other Monday. 🎧 Listen wherever you get podcasts.

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

At the Iowa Farm Table Podcast | Beth Hoffman | Substack

The At the Iowa Farm Table Podcast takes a deep dive into food and farming in Iowa. Brought to you by the Iowa Food System Coalition. Click to read At the Iowa Farm Table Podcast, a Substack publicati...

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

🌽 Sweet corn season is here, but local food shouldn’t be a once-a-year treat. Take the #LocalFoodPromise and help build a food system that feeds us all, all year long. IowaFoodSystemCoalition.org/Promise

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

This week’s episode of At the Iowa Farm Table dug into it: sweet corn, culture, and Iowa’s appetite for change. Episode sponsor, Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, has a collection of sweet corn recipes to help you savor the season. healthyharvestni.com/consumers/recipes/?_sft_wprm_ingredient=sweet-corn

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Reposted by Iowa Food System Coalition

Iowa Capital Dispatch @iowacapitaldispatch.com · 31/07/2025

Bayer, the biotech company and manufacturer of Round Up, has substantially increased its spending on lobbying in Iowa since the introduction of a pesticide labeling bill in 2024, Cami Koons reports.

iowacapitaldispatch.com

Pesticide manufacturer spent more than $200K lobbying in Iowa • Iowa Capital Dispatch

Bayer has substantially increased its spending on lobbying in Iowa since the introduction of a pesticide labeling bill in 2024.

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

New podcast episode! 🌽 We dig into Iowa’s sweet corn obsession...from its Indigenous roots to canning plants, farm crisis survival, and what it reveals about the food we’re willing to go the extra mile for. 🎧 Listen: attheiowafarmtable.substack.com #IowaFoodVoices #SweetCornSeason #ifsc

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

We sat down with Ilsa Dewald, Johnson County Food and Farm Manager, to talk about local food policy councils and what's happening in Johnson County on our Side Dish episode. Check it out! #attheiowfarmtable #iowafoodsystemcoalition #ifscpartner

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Gov. Reynolds rejected $29M in federal funds for Summer EBT, replacing it with Iowa’s own model: Healthy Kids Iowa. We unpack what the new program looks like on the ground—and ask: is it really working for families, pantries, and kids?

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

What's in the Box? The "Health" of Healthy Kids Iowa

Listen now | In this episode, we unpack what Healthy Kids Iowa looks like on the ground. We speak with pantry leaders, parents, and advocates to understand how this new model is playing out across Iow...

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Iowa's landscape is one of the most altered on Earth. Nearly 70% of land is in crops—94% of it corn and soy. Not for our plates, but for fuel, feed, and export. It’s a system built on policy, not food. And it's breaking our water.

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

Bridging Clean Water & Crop Diversity: Why Markets Matter

We can’t fix water without fixing markets | Iowa farmers are some of the most innovative, resilient people you’ll ever meet. Give them the right opportunities: real markets, fair prices, a system that...

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

With Iowa’s water quality concerns making headlines, it’s more important than ever to support the kind of farming that protects our rivers. In North Iowa, producers like JÓIA FOOD FARM are growing nutritious food while caring for our water, air, and soil.

youtu.be

Grow. Eat. Play. North Iowa: Farm to Market

YouTube video by Healthy Harvest of North Iowa

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

In 2012, Rob Faux was bringing water out to the hens on his organic farm in northeast Iowa when a plane flew over and sprayed pesticides on him, his partner, and his farm. Not once, but twelve times. Listen: attheiowafarmtable.substack.com/p/drenched-i...

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

Pesticide Immunity

Listen now | An aerial‑spray accident wiped out an entire season of Rob’s diversified vegetable production—along with his CSA commitments. Now he’s fighting “pesticide‑immunity” bills moving through s...

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

We want to be very clear here: specialty crop (aka food) farmers tend to vote very differently than large, commodified ag farmers. We'd also like to introduce you to our Executive Director: Chris Schwartz, a Democrat, who serves as the Black Hawk County Supervisor board chair.

iowafoodsystemcoalition.org

Meet Chris Schwartz: Our New Executive Director Leading the Charge for a Thriving Food System in Iowa — Iowa Food System Coalition

The Iowa Food System Coalition is excited to announce that we have named Chris Schwartz as our new executive director.

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Gov. Reynolds turned down $29M in federal funds for Summer EBT and replaced it with her own program, Healthy Kids Iowa. We talk with pantry leaders, parents & advocates to see how it’s actually working. New episode of At the Iowa Farm Table out now.

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

What's in the Box? The "Health" of Healthy Kids Iowa

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Nitrate levels in Des Moines' drinking water are hitting historic highs. The city issued its first-ever lawn watering ban, and rural communities are struggling too. In this episode, we revisit the grade school water cycle diagram—then rip it up. Because the reality in Iowa is very different.

attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

This Is Why We Can’t Have Clean Water

How Iowa farming broke the water cycle—and how we fix it

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Iowa State University Extension released the 2024 Food Hub Impact Report, and the numbers are big: seven Iowa food hubs worked with more than 450 farms and moved $4.3 million in local food. Check out the full report and share it with anyone who still doubts the economic punch of local food.

extension.iastate.edu

Food Hubs Sell over $4 Million of Local Food in 2024 | Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development

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Iowa Food System Coalition @ifsc.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Want to start eating local, but not sure where to start? We’ve got you. When you make the #IowaLocalFoodPromise, you'll get: 🍅 A seasonal food calendar 📍 Local food directories 📦 Food hub info 💰 A budget worksheet to make your promise stick iowafoodsystemcoalition.org/promise

iowafoodsystemcoalition.org

Take the Iowa Local Food Promise — Iowa Food System Coalition

Join Iowans committing to support local farmers, strengthen Iowa's food system, and invest in healthier communities. Every dollar makes a difference.

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