Dairy farmer and former Iowa Farm Bureau President, Craig Lang, announced his campaign for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture last week. Lang has said he is committed to bringing together Iowans to improve the state’s soil health, water quality and rural economy. One of his top issues is the pressing need to protect Iowa’s 29 million acres of farmland. “We can reverse the loss of our precious soil and improve overall soil health by bringing back the bovine industry, diversifying crop rotations and adding more cover crops,” Lang says. He adds that evidence shows cover crops can reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff by up to 30 percent. Lang also pledged to expand trade efforts, especially to China, which recently opened up markets to U.S. beef imports. He has served as a leader in the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the FBL Financial Group. Lang also has experience as the chairman of the Grow Iowa Values Fund and worked under Gov. Tom Vilsack as the vice-chair of the Iowa Economic Development Board. Lang, with his two sons, runs a 700-head dairy herd, farms 1,200 acres and manages a cow/calf operation near Poweshiek County. Lang is seeking the Republican nomination to replace Bill Northey. Northey has served as Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture since 2007 and is leaving for a position as an undersecretary in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
