Recording Available for Factory Farms, Your Health and the Cancer Connection
FACTORY FARMS, YOUR HEALTH AND THE CANCER CONNECTIONRecording Now on IARA’s YouTube ChannelOrganized by the Iowa Alliance for Responsible AgricultureCo-sponsored with Little Village
Watch the Recording Here
ACTION STEPS: How You Can Advocate for a Safer Iowa
Iowa ranks second in the nation for cancer cases and it’s the only state where cancer rates are rising. Last year the Iowa Cancer Registry’s report pointed a finger at binge drinking. But Iowa water is loaded with nitrates and other toxins, and Iowans are exposed to a wide range of harmful agrichemicals liberally used throughout the state. The cancer/industrial agriculture connection should not be shunted aside. Water quality expert Dr. Chris Jones, public health expert Audrey Tran Lam, registered dietician and public health advocate Mary Jo Forbord and Field to Family’s Michelle Kenyon examined how our current agricultural practices are harming human health and ways to access cleaner, healthier, environmentally-friendly local foods during the November 13 IARA meeting at the Iowa Public Library. The meeting addressed:
About the Speakers Dr. Chris Jones retired as a Research Engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering at the University of Iowa in 2023. He continues as a recognized and fearless advocate for changing agricultural practices to protect Iowa water. He’s been a frequent guest on Iowa Public Radio, appeared on NPR’s On Point, and published articles in the Des Moines Register, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Kansas City Star, and Civil Eats. Jones authored The Swine Republic, Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality, which was recently selected as the Iowa entry for the Library of Congress’ Great Reads, Great Places program. He writes a Substack column at riverraccoon.substack.com. As Environmental Health Program Director, Audrey Tran Lam has been leading environmental health initiatives at the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy and Environmental Education since 2017, working where human health and environmental sustainability meet. Tran Lam holds a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Iowa and a graduate certificate from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Food Systems, the Environment, and Public Health. In addition to her work at the CEEE, Tran Lam serves on several board including the Iowa Rural Health Association, Heartland Health Research Alliance, and Pesticide Action Network, as well as on the Executive Committee for the Cancer Free Economy Network and Design Team for Green America’s Soil & Climate Alliance. Mary Jo Forbord, a registered dietitian and fifth generation farmer from Western Minnesota, works to understand and promote the connections between healthy soil, nourishing food, clean water, and healthy people. Forbord worked in health care and community nutrition as Executive Director of the Sustainable Farming Association and as Healthy Eating Coordinator at the University of Minnesota, Morris. She co-owns and operates Prairie Horizons Farm where she tends a diverse, certified organic orchard and gardens and works to protect the tallgrass prairie ecosystem through rotational grazing and browsing of cattle and goats. Michelle Kenyon is the Executive Director of Field to Family, a comprehensive regional food hub and market powered by partnerships with producers, institutions and community members. She successfully led a team in the design and implementation of several initiatives, including a farm-to-school program and an online farmers market. These efforts aim to cultivate a community food system that enhances environmental sustainability, supports the local economy, and promotes public health. As of the end of 2023, Field to Family had facilitated nearly 2 million local food purchases from over 130 local producers. |
