Klinkenborg, Revisited

Klinkenborg's column attracted 3 letters. One said diverse agriculture in Iowa needed to develop, one said Iowa needs to focus on getting people to return (as opposed to keeping the young) and one said the problem is bigger than industrial agriculture:

The New York Times > Opinion > Try to Imagine the Iowa of My Dreams (3 Letters): "I left Iowa after high school eight years ago in order to learn from a broader diversity of people and experiences than Iowa could offer. I cherished my Iowa roots, but I needed to see the world."

I suspect the original column and the letters partially explain the big expenditures on farm programs. All of us who left the farm are nostalgic and maybe a bit guilty about the decision. And those who never lived on a farm are still subject to the sentimentality. Interest groups are another part of the explanation.