Ray Gasser Seeks Iowa Ag Secretary Position

Ray Gasser (R)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Iowa’s Ag Secretary Bill Northey has recently been appointed as Under Secretary at the USDA. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds appointed Mike Naig to that position.

Ray Gasser has tossed his hat into the Republican ring for that position, citing all the experiences that he has in agriculture as the primary motivator.

Gasser says that his experiences on his own farm, and his relationships he cultivated as a volunteer for economic development, and with the Iowa Soybean Association and the American Soybean Association, will be valuble assests if elected.

Gasser says being president of the Iowa Soybean Association and the executive committee, becoming president for the American Soybean Association in 2014, helped him develop the skills to help lead Iowa into the future.

Trade is something that Gasser has been focused on, saying he’s been on approximately 50 trade missions around the world helping to promote Iowa and American agriculture.

“What I want to do is take all those things that I’ve learned and all the relationships and be able to use them for Iowa and Iowa agriculture,” says Gasser. “I really believe that the Secretary of Agriculture is really about listening to people.”

Gasser says that some of the challenges Iowa agriculture is facing include the price of grains, concerns with trade, and supporting a policy that develops and supports the economic viability for Iowa agriculture.

Water quality is something Gasser says is important to him and something he’s been involved with his whole life. “We’ve implemented all of the conservation practices we could on our farm for 40 years.”

Those practices have included terraces, no-till and most recently cover crops, “to improve the soil and sequester the nutrients. Keep the soil in place and build out the soil health on our farm.

“Strong and healthy farms build strong and healthy communities and a strong and healthy Iowa. That’s my message. I believe in that, and that will be my focus,” added Gasser.

When it comes to the friction between rural and urban Iowans, Gasser believes he can help to mend those fences. “I do see that for sure, and I have a history of working with diverse groups of people to create an environment so people can be comfortable about sharing all sides of the equation and coming to some kind of solution.”

“Reasonable people can sit down and have a reasonable discussion and come to reasonable solutions,” added Gasser.

Gasser is looking for your support at the June 5th primary. You can learn more about Gasser on his Facebook page HERE,  or his website HERE.