Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate Tim Gannon tells a Decorah audience the race is about farm profitability and soil & water conservation

Speaking to a small crowd of followers on Friday morning, Democratic Party candidate for Secretary of Agriculture Tim Gannon outlined the reasons he wants to be elected.

Gannon says the tariffs imposed by President Trump which led in turn to tariffs imposed by foreign countries on exports of American crops have been bad for Iowa's economy.  Gannon says the only way to reverse the course and improve Iowa's economy is through "real pain"--of the politicians who supported the tariffs losing their jobs.  He says farmers who voted for Trump have told him, "We didn't sign up to wreck Iowa's economy."

Gannon says if the tariff war is ended, the next step will be to encourage additional research into ways agricultural products can be used.

The 41-year-old former USDA associate administrator who lives near Mingo also stressed environmental issues.  "We're an agricultural power because we have the best soil in the world--we need to take care of it," he told the group.  He says the state legislature needs to fund the Outdoor Trust Fund, a move which would provide $120 million for state parks, hunting programs, and other Iowa DNR programs.  Gannon believes the state money would then lead to federal money and private monies being invested in sustainability programs.  Such a move, he says, would "create a conservation economy."