The Land Remains: A Midwestern Perspective on Our Past and Future

This “Midwestern perspective on our past and future” combines several aims—part family history and personal memoir, part history of land conservation with a focus on Iowa, and part treatise on how we can better work to achieve healthy soil, water, and access to public lands.

The author draws upon his career in law, his training in forestry, and—importantly—his status as owner of a farm that has been in his family for generations. He also includes maps and photos, as well as sidebars of “the back forty,” the land itself, chiming in on topics such as religion and property rights.

I was pleased to see the final three chapters devoted to solutions and problem solving, focusing on land trusts, soil conservation, seed banks, and more. This well-written and deeply researched book will be useful to anyone interested in agriculture, land policy, and saving family farms.