08/26/2026
Have you seen the ad which shows Mike Naig being interviewed a number of years ago by Jefferson's David Yepsen?
MIKE NAIG HAS LED IOWA AGRICULTURE FOR EIGHT YEARS.
OUR WATER IS STILL POLLUTED.
Here in Henry County, water quality is not an abstract issue.
Our 831 farms generate more than $230 million in agricultural sales. The Skunk River runs through our county. Rural families rely on private wells. Our farmers, communities and local economy all depend upon healthy soil and clean water.
Henry County farmers are not the enemy.
Many are already investing their own time, labor and money in conservation. They deserve a state partner willing to confront the largest polluters, not a system that places responsibility on those who voluntarily step forward while allowing others to continue business as usual.
That is the system Mike Naig has protected.
Before entering state government, Naig spent five years as Monsanto’s manager of government affairs.
Today, he oversees Iowa’s response to agricultural pollution while continuing to rely primarily on voluntary participation and taxpayer funded incentives.
Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy promised a 45 percent reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.
The results speak for themselves:
💥After accounting for river flow, Iowa’s 2024 nitrate load was the highest recorded since 2000, approximately 135 percent of the twenty five year average.
💥Iowa recorded 36 nitrate related drinking water violations in 2025, more than twice the previous year.
💥In June 2026, high nitrate pollution contributed to mandatory water restrictions affecting more than 600,000 Iowans. One major source water system reached 12.3 mg/L, above the federal drinking water limit, and remained above that limit for nearly 90 days, a record.
💥By June 9, the nitrate removal facility had operated 148 days, or 95 percent of 2026, at a cost of up to $16,000 per day.
💥By early July, 20 of Iowa’s 41 monitored state beaches had already received at least one “swimming not recommended” advisory for E. coli or toxic microcystin.
Naig points to grants, demonstration projects and voluntary partnerships.
Iowans can point to the water.
Taxpayers subsidize efforts to reduce agricultural pollution and then pay again to remove it from their drinking water.
Meanwhile, Iowa has the nation’s second highest cancer incidence rate and is one of only a few states where cancer rates continue to rise.
Scientists have not attributed Iowa’s cancer crisis to one contaminant. But studies have associated long term nitrate exposure with certain cancers.
We do not need to prove nitrate caused every diagnosis before demanding clean water.
Henry County deserves an agriculture secretary who will work with family farmers, reward responsible conservation and hold major polluters accountable.
After eight years, Mike Naig’s voluntary strategy has failed to deliver its promised results.
The corporations are protected.
Our farmers and families pay the price.
Mike Naig calls it “tremendous progress.”
Iowans are drinking the consequences.
His priorities. Our water. Our health pays the price.
