This plant, which was built in 2003, is considered old. The pace of technology change—the enzymes, ceramic balls, industrial equipment, monitoring and computerization—has been breathtaking. This is a tech job, pure and simple.
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We think of farming as rustic and natural. But farming is heavy industry. And the same pressures of scale apply. Small farms are disappearing in Iowa. The average Iowa farmer is a 74 year old woman. Farming is tied to a huge global supply chain, like everything else.
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Events happening far away—oil price shocks in the middle east, hurricanes in Houston—have an immediate effect on Iowa farmers. They also rely heavily on seasonal immigrant labor to get the crop in. And climate change here affects the bottom line.
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I asked the manager of the plant how he saw the future for ethanol. Corn was $7 a pound when he started in the 90s, now it is down to $2. It is not something he thinks about. His mind is on yields, process flow, and the details of this difficult job.
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But this district deserves someone who is willing to look at the big picture. The jobs at this plant are some of the few that pay a good wage, with benefits. For most people growing up in IA-4, there's not much to keep them there. And the face of farming is changing.
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This is the kind of thing JD can speak to. He gets a lot of attention for being an alternative to Steve King, the clownish, bigoted current representative who is an embarrassment to all Iowans. But there are real policy questions in northwest Iowa that need answers.
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And in race after race in rural places, these are the issues that come up. How do you create *real* jobs, and opportunities for young people? How do you face the pressures of a globalized economy? The reality show playing out in the White House is very far away.
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So, I hope you will support
@Scholten4Iowa because he has a real chance of dethroning Steve King, one of the vilest people to serve in Congress. But I also hope you will support him because he genuinely cares about the future of his district. Rural communities are suffering.1 reply 5 retweets 33 likesShow this thread -
The solutions we need in northwest Iowa—a living wage, defense against corporate conglomerates, rural broadband, wind energy—are ones a Democrat can win on. Please help 9 Democrats like this win, each with a comparable story, by donating today:https://secure.actblue.com/donate/great_slate …
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Replying to @Pinboard
I love the technology, but I have to ask — is corn ethanol sustainable without massive subsidies? I’m 100% on board with renewables, but I always have had the impression that corn ethanol was make-work.
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I'd like to know that, too
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