Francis Thicke

Francis Thicke is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Iowa secretary of agriculture in 2010. He owns and operates Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, Iowa. Dr. Thicke supports state incentives for farm-scale wind turbines, local control of the location of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and increased state regulation regarding the size of such confinements. He previously served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. as national program leader for soil science. He has also served on the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission and was appointed to the Iowa Food Policy Council by former Gov. Tom Vilsack. Dr. Thicke holds a PhD in agronomy and soil fertility. He has been a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops in Iowa and across the nation on topics ranging from local food systems and economic development to organic farming practices to sustainable farming. He currently serves on Iowa’s USDA Technical Committee. For more information on Dr. Thicke, click here.