SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 29, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/1/25
In this edition:
*RIP Phil Mears
*RIP Wally Chappell
*RIP Becky Schmitz
*May Day
*Farmer’s Markets
*Johnson County Agricultural Data
*Statewide Agricultural Data
*Farm Roots
*Did You Know?
*RIP Phil Mears
Phil Mears passed unexpectedly a few days ago, and it is a big loss. Phil was well-known for his incredible garden at his home on College Street in Iowa City, but there was much more to the man. Phil was an attorney who did a lot of appellate work, often with folks who were facing long odds. He was very committed to folks with less, and gave much time and money to food banks and other charities. He was a hardcore, unabashed liberal, and liked to talk politics. RIP, Phil.
*RIP Wally Chappell
I was sad to hear of the passing of Wally Chappell of Iowa City. Wally was a true giant in the arts world, almost certainly appreciated more globally than right here at home. Wally ran Hancher Auditorium from 1986 to 2001, and is a big reason Iowa City is known for the arts. His influence was also felt as a board member, serving long-term on the boards of the Kronos Quartet, The Englert Theatre and The Riverside Theatre.
Wally and I used to run into each other around town, and he always wanted to talk a little politics. I can assure you he was a good guy and a wise man. RIP, Wally!
*RIP Becky Schmitz
I was sad to hear that former State Senator Becky Schmitz has passed. Becky was the Iowa State Senator from the 45th District, serving from 2007 till 2011. That District contained all of southern Johnson County at the time, so I got to know Becky very well. She was a very smart and caring person, and represented us very well. We knocked on a lot of doors together in Hills, Lone Tree, and other areas, and she was always fun to be around.
Becky was elected to the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors in November 2012, and served one 4-year term. RIP, Senator!
*May Day
In much of the world, May Day is a worker’s holiday. It used to be a holiday here, too, until an unreasonable fear of communism clouded our collective national judgment.
May Day used to commemorate the Haymarket Incident. For those of you unfamiliar, the following is lifted largely from Wikipedia:
The Haymarket affair occurred during the course of a three-day strike that involved common laborers, artisans, merchants, and immigrants. Following an incident in which police opened fire and killed four strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. plant, a rally was called for the following day at Haymarket Square. The event remained peaceful, yet towards the end of the rally, as police moved in to disperse the event, an unknown assailant threw a bomb into the crowd of police. The bomb and resulting police riot left at least a dozen people dead, including seven policemen.
A sensational show trial ensued in which eight defendants were openly tried for their political beliefs, and not necessarily for any involvement in the bombing. The trial led to the eventual public hanging of four anarchists. In the following years, memory of the "Haymarket martyrs" was remembered with various May Day job actions and demonstrations.
So, on this May Day, I plan on tipping back a cold beverage in honor of the people who gave us the weekend!
*Farmer’s Markets
It is almost May, and that means it is time for our local Farmer’s Markets! My mouth is watering!
People who know me know that I am a farmer’s market fanatic. I can be found at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market pretty much every Saturday. I love the food, I love the farmers, I love the customers … I love everything about it! See you at the market!
*Johnson County Agricultural Data
The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers provided these statistics for both Johnson County and the State of Iowa:
There are 1,257 farms in Johnson County, totaling 304,239 acres. That is an average of 242 acres per farm. If I had to guess, I’d say these folks are defining a “farm” quite liberally.
And beware of averages! There are very few 242-acre farms out there. It is more like 8 twenty-acre farms, one 300-acre farm, and one 2000-acre farm. The average does not tell the story.
Johnson County is one of the only counties in Iowa where the number of farms is going up, but the acres farmed is going down. This reflects our strong local foods culture.
In 2022, the market value of Johnson County crops was $143 million. The value of livestock sold was $76 million.
Agriculture and ag-related industries accounted for 4,044 jobs, about 3% of the county total. Ag and ag-related industries accounted for $171 million in wages, and $867 million in sales.
Johnson County is a bit better than average when it comes to farmland; our average Corn Suitability Rating (CSR) is 69, while statewide it is 68. But of the land in production, the average CSR is closer to 80. We have more woodlands than most counties, which also affect things.
We think of Johnson County as an “urban” county, and rightfully so. All of these ag numbers have dropped over the past 10 years. Yet it is important that we recognize the huge role that agriculture plays in our local economy.
*Statewide Agricultural Data
Statewide, the economic impact of agriculture is truly staggering. Ag accounts for one out of every three dollars in the Iowa economy. One in 5 Iowans works in ag or ag-related industries. Iowa ranks number one in hogs, corn, soybeans, and eggs, and in the top 5 for cattle, chickens, and turkeys.
*Farm Roots
Anyone who has known me long knows that I grew up on the family farm. It is not just any family farm; both my maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather both came from families that settled in Iowa prior to statehood. We have two family farms that have been in the family seven and eight generations, respectively. My family has been on the same land since 20 years before the start of the Civil War! So yes, I am proud of my family farm roots.
After growing up out on the farm, on a gravel road, miles from the nearest town, I moved to Iowa City. And while I love the things city life offers, I often miss the farm. One small connection that I maintain is my screensaver.
Both home and at work, my screensaver is a photo of my Grandpa, Ed Jack, winning the 1961 State Corn Picking Championship. I love the photo for a lot of reasons, but primarily the way in which he holds his hat in his hands. Though he had become quite wealthy through farming, he was a very humble man. The photo really captures that. And despite the fact that he had been using a mechanical combine for several years, he obviously had not lost his touch when it came to picking corn.
We used to pick a lot of sweet corn when I was a kid. If you have ever seen anyone pick corn by hand, you know that it is not easy. And my Grandpa was a perfectionist – you had to do it right! I knew intuitively why he won that contest – he had the cleanest row and fewest deductions. Sure enough, that was true.
My Grandpa loved to enter contests. He liked to experiment, and he had a competitive spirit. So his house was full of trophies and plaques. Only one, however, was first place. That was the State Corn Picking Championship.
Also on a shelf were about a dozen trophies earned in various statewide competitions. There were 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd place trophies – in some cases, multiples. Most of the awards were in yield competitions.
He got second in a statewide highest yield contest in the late ‘50s, and once averaged 200 bushels per acre, which was the farming equivalent of breaking the 4-minute mile. The statewide average now is 189 bushels per acre, so technology has certainly caught up.
I remember the importance he placed on watching the markets. The guys who were working on the farm came into the house every day at EXACTLY 11:55. They washed their hands with Lava soap, filled their plates, and started to eat dinner. There was no “lunch” – dinner at noon, supper for the evening meal!
Then they put on the WMT noon news, with the volume cranked, because years on the tractor (no cab) had ruined my Grandpa’s hearing. (KCRG showed a soap opera at noon and had no noon news. That was an unforgiveable heresy in the eyes of my Grandfather!)
They would intently watch the markets, then decide what to do that afternoon. Maybe you got things ready to go to town and sell. Maybe not. The whole plan for the next 24 hours depended upon the market and the weather.
Nowadays, the commodities are presold on contract. There is no need to closely monitor prices and react. It is probably a lot less stressful. But at the time, it certainly seemed exciting to a kid watching it all unfold!
My Granny played a different role, and we kids were her helpers. Each family had HUGE gardens – between the 5 families, the garden space (not counting sweet corn and fruit trees) was probably over 2 acres. We spent all summer picking strawberries, asparagus, beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, pears, lettuce, cabbage, radishes… then Granny showed us how to clean them, cut them, and store them.
Farming has changed a lot since I was a kid. I was recently asking my Mom who was renting the family’s various plots of land. She reported that there are only 3-4 people farming in the whole area, and that these operations have become so large that what used to be considered a sizeable farm (say, 250 acres) is barely worth their time to rent!
I never wanted to go into farming – I realized right away that I was a people person, and agriculture could get lonely. But I miss those days, and remember them fondly.
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa has 49,065 women active in farm operations, 34% of the total number of farmers.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:02 AM
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