After reading about the AAUW forum between Dean Fisher and Tommy Hexter, may I offer Mr. Hexter a few real life lessons. While maybe not the most important topics covered on Monday night, they offer a glimpse into the realities of the positions he takes.

I challenge Mr. Hexter’s thoughts that Mr. Fisher’s raccoon bounty program is “not gonna cut it” for environmental protection for the state. As a farmer of corn, beans, cattle as well as fruits and vegetables which are sold at a farmer’s market and to institutions, I challenge you that this doesn’t matter. You advocate for more diverse crops and chemical free production. With my over supply of raccoon, deer, and groundhog, I have lost my entire sweet potato crop, beet crop, half of my carrot and head lettuce crops and without a solar fencer on my sweet corn (which was not free), I lost only 10% of that crop. This totals thousands of dollars and much sweat equity. What you advocate for is not possible if we don’t get a handle on our wildlife population, which makes the “raccoon bill” very good news for those of us growing diverse crops. My bushels per acre would also go up on the corn and soybeans acres with better control of these critters.

If Mr. Fisher can make my grandson $5 per raccoon tail by getting a bill passed in the legislature, more power to him. He could include deer and groundhog tails too! I doubt if this will bankrupt the state but might help those of us trying to feed the citizens of Iowa fresh fruits and vegetables, which I thought Mr. Hexter advocated for.

Carolyn Adolphs

Traer