Francis Thicke is a farmer, scientist, and an educator. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate an 80-cow, grass-based, organic dairy near Fairfield, Iowa. They have a processing plant on their farm where they process all the milk from their cows. In the processing plant they produce bottled milk, cheese and yogurt which they market through grocery stores and restaurants in their local community. All their milk products are sold within four miles of their farm.
And he wants to be your next Secretary of Agriculture here in Iowa.
Francis announced his candidacy in Cedar Rapids this morning. He described his vision for the future of agriculture in Iowa and highlighted three areas that call for policy initiatives:
- Development of local food systems in Iowa.
- Sustainable, locally owned, renewable energy from wind and biofuels.
- Making Iowa livestock production systems more environmentally friendly and socially responsible.
Francis’ bio on his campaign website says:
Francis grew up on a hog and dairy farm, where he helped with farm work from an early age. During high school he was up at four in the morning in order to finish milking before going to school.
After high school, Francis completed a B.A. degree in music and philosophy. After that, he returned to the family farm full-time for nine years. Then, Francis attended graduate school, completing an M.S. in soil science and a Ph.D. in agronomy, with a soil fertility specialty.
After completing his Ph.D., Francis worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., serving as the National Program Leader for Soil Science for the USDA-Extension Service. Francis and Susan returned to full-time farming in 1992 in the farming operation they own and operate today.
Since returning home Francis has helped educate Iowans from elementary school to grad students in his style of farming.
The Iowa Democratic Party welcomes him to the race. You can read more about Francis and his vision for the future of Iowa’s agriculture on his campaign website: www.thickeforagriculture.com.