For those of us who are disappointed by the Iowa Legislature’s decision to pass the livestock bill, there is hope. This week I stumbled on to some information which will make any family farm happy. We may have lost the right to produce livestock at the state level, but we haven’t at the federal level. Senate Bill 60 guarantees us the right to farm. The bill is appropriately called the Right-To-Farm Bill. This bill assures us that we will be producing livestock and farming the land tomorrow.

Essentially what the bill does is grant farmers the grandfathered right to continue farming. However, the farmer must file and maintain a farm conservation plan with the United States Department of Agriculture Soil and Conservation Service.

Which is a good idea, as long as they realize they need to educate the farmer in order for this to work. And by “educate,” I mean make sure the farmer understands the importance of sustainable agriculture.

All too often, people jump to the conclusion that farmers are out to use the land any way that they can. They assume that farmers are just out to make money. But part of being a farmer is being a steward of the land.

Some of the older farmers in Iowa do not understand these new regulations. It doesn’t make sense to them that the old techniques they have used in years past are not viable anymore. They see these new regulations as a way to push them out of farming.

Where this may be true in some cases, most of the time it is a needed regulation. The government does not stop to educate the farmer on why the new law is needed. This in turn creates a misunderstanding, which ends with taking sides and crumpled toes.

The Right-To-Farm Bill also protects the farmer’s right to continue to farm even when one of their neighbors decides they do not appreciate the smell of the livestock or the noise of the machinery. The farmer can continue to do what he is doing without fear of a lawsuit.

Which brings me back to: why are these people living in the country if they don’t like smell or the noise?

If farmers suddenly decided they wanted to farm in the city, would they be given the right to sue people who harassed their livestock? Would they be able to sue people who walked through their cornfields?

No, but then farming in the city would go about as well as trying to shove toothpaste back into the tube. It just wouldn’t work. So stop trying to shove us off the land. Stay in the city where it doesn’t stink and we don’t get in your way.

It is not as though people who do not want to farm should not be allowed to live in the country. They should just understand that in the country, they will have to deal with farmers.

We own the roads during harvest and spring. If it smells, there is nothing we can do about it. We make noise. Deal with it. It’s not like we expect that when we come to town, everyone will be extra quiet or that the smell of the city will just dissipate.

Not all people who do not farm are completely against farming. We have plenty of supporters; Senate Bill 60 proves this. It is just frustrating that something that is so dear to people, like farming, could be so easily taken away by others who have absolutely no understanding of it.

It is encouraging that we have aid from the government in the form of a bill which promises us the privilege to continue doing what we love.

Danelle Zellmer is a sophomore in public service administration in agriculture from Atlantic.