This month the Spokesman is running essays by candidates for national offices who have been designated a Friend of Agriculture by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

As a career small businessman, I understand the challenges facing farmers and producers in the First District and throughout Iowa. I know first hand how difficult doing business can be in the face of the roadblocks the federal government puts on us: high taxes, complex regulations and a growing bureaucracy that stifles growth and innovation. Farming is a tough job, and Iowans don’t need the federal government making...