Farmers and others in Iowa agriculture must work together and overcome internal differences, apathy and pessimism to confront the growing legal, regulatory, cultural and economic challenges that agriculture faces today, according to Craig Hill, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) president.

Otherwise, farmers will be div­ided and bullied by activists, regulators and others who are opposed to today’s farming and want to push their own agendas on agriculture in Iowa, Hill told delegates in opening remarks to the IFBF 2015 Summer Policy Conference last week in West Des Moines.

As an example of the activists’ push against agriculture, Hill cited the lawsuit filed by the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) against 10 drainage districts in Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac counties over alleged discharges from agricultural drainage tile systems. The water supplier and its allies are working to impose one-size-fits-all regulations on Iowa farms, he said. ...