The recent Associated Press (AP) story that claims ethanol production is harming the environment and ruining Iowa soils is full of untruths and holes wide enough to drive my John Deere tractor through. I am a small family farmer who has grown corn, soybeans and wheat for 40 years, and wearing that hat, I found the story offensive.

But as a researcher with ad­­vanced degrees in economics who has served on state and national boards, including the Offset Committee of the Chicago Climate Exchange, the Midwest Governor’s Association Greenhouse Gas Accord committee and the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council, I found the claims the AP made about Iowa corn farmers and ethanol misleading with several inaccuracies.

The Multi-State Land Use Study completed earlier this summer tells a much different story about how Iowa’s landscape has changed and how farmers respond to market trends. This study shows that...