Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, Inc. - JFAN

11/03/2026

Happy Election Day!

Some inspiring news this morning that demonstrates that local communities know what they need and are willing to fund projects that they trust.

After the election, keep the Protect Water Prevent Cancer project in mind! We hope for this project to allow Iowans to come together in their own regions to advocate for the policy and initiatives they believe in around the critical issues of water quality and cancer in Iowa.

www.protectwaterpreventcancer.org

Funding a trust to support Iowa’s natural resources and water has come up repeatedly on the campaign trail ahead of Tuesday’s elections, but some counties have successfully initiated bond referendums to support projects locally.

11/02/2026

Rebekah Vineyard's personal Letter to the Editor appeared in the Southeast Iowa Union on October 29, 2026. We're sharing because we think it's an important read! Rebekah is JFAN's Communications and Operations Coordinator.

She writes, "The state should do more to help row-crop farmers adopt cover cropping, because statewide participation remains well below what is needed to meet the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy’s goals — despite the impression the [Iowa] Farm Bureau’s presentation may leave."

If you don't have a subscription to the Southeast Iowa Union, you can view the Letter on JFAN's website, linked below in the comments!

Opinion: Despite proven conservation methods like cover cropping, Iowa's agricultural sector has not met nutrient reduction goals in 13 years, signifying a need for stronger policy and support for sustainable

11/02/2026

Excellent piece. Worth your full attention.

10/30/2026

"The researchers found that 26 percent of all samples had at least one antimicrobial-resistant gene, and 17 percent of samples had multiple resistant genes. "[...] the more factory farms near a home, the more likely resistant genes are present."

The article breaks down why this is a daunting public health risk!

People living near factory farms are more likely to have drug-resistant bacteria in their homes, raising their risk of resistant infections, according to new research. While antibiotics and other drugs are essential for treating infections in farm animals, poor welfare and unhealthy living condition...

10/30/2026

According to the CDC, antimicrobial resistance contributes to 50,800 deaths in the US each year, up from the 44,000/year reported in the CDC 2019 AR Threats Report.

As the New Lede article mentions, this UCLA study builds upon a growing body of research that finds antibiotic-resistant E. coli near CAFOs, plus a recent study that found antibiotic drug-resistant bacteria in the dust of people’s homes - in Iowa!

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are pervasive in streams and rivers downstream of large Wisconsin livestock operations, increasing the risk of superbugs that make people sick and cannot be treated, according to a new study.

10/27/2026

After the Clean Water Act, states are supposed to permit CAFOs under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), with "strict operating, monitoring and reporting requirements designed to prevent pollution." Iowa, however, has permitted only 4 percent of nearly 4,000 federally-recognized CAFOs.

"Iowa residents have grown increasingly frustrated with the state’s reluctance to protect against the downstream impacts of industrial animal and row crop agriculture."

More than a decade after the EPA found that Iowa wasn’t cracking down on polluting factory farms, the state continues to hedge on enforcement.

10/26/2026

Our Executive Director Diane Rosenberg introduces us to Sentient Media's great work on a new Iowa CAFO and manure map, and explains why these manure numbers are significant to our public health and quality of life.

She talks about the need for better CAFO oversight, the clear pollution of our waterways and ground water, and the desperate need for Iowa to do something about water pollution. Definitely give it a read!

A new map makes it possible to see where factory farms exist. It’s just the first step voters can take to find out if their water is polluted and where their representatives stand.

10/22/2026

More on current affairs regarding atrazine, the second most widely used herbicide in the US and used on up to 65% of corn fields in Iowa.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified atrazine as "probably carcinogenic to humans last November. The EPA is using the mistrust it generated over the IARC in 2015 over glyphosate research to call into question this classification as well.

Meanwhile, the state of California is taking action. It will add atrazine to its list of "known to the state to cause cancer," in addition to having declared it “known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity” in 2016.

Move follows international classification

10/22/2026