Former University of Iowa professor and water scientist Chris Jones has announced he's running for Iowa secretary of agriculture.
Jones, a Democrat, retired as a research engineer from the University of Iowa’s Institute of Hydraulic Research in 2023.
He co-founded the nonprofit Iowa Driftless Water Defenders in 2024, which focuses on water quality issues, and has published a collection of essays on agricultural pollution.
Jones made his announcement Thursday in front of the Des Moines Water Works offices. The drinking water utility is part of a regional system that started running its nitrate removal facility earlier this month. It's the first time the system has run in January for more than a decade.
These elevated nitrate levels are unacceptable, he said.
"We have Des Moines. We have Cedar Rapids. We have Iowa City, Manchester, Boone, Cedar Falls, many other towns around Iowa that struggle with this nitrate contamination that comes from row crop and animal agriculture," Jones said.
Jones, who lives in northeast Iowa near Lansing, said the current food production system and federal policies, like tariffs, are hurting the environment and farmers economically while benefiting multinational agribusinesses.
"They're the ones that are making out. They're coming to Iowa, they're extracting the wealth, and they're leaving us with the pollution, and we are burdened with the responsibility for coping with this pollution."
Jones will face a primary against Democrat Wade Dooley, a farmer and business owner near Marshalltown, who announced his run earlier this week.
Current Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, a Republican, announced last May that he's seeking a third term. Naig was first elected in 2018.
