Go Organic, Get a Tax Cut

Woodbury, Iowa, dominated as far as the eye can see by acres of conventional mega-farms, is trying a first-in-the-nation community investment strategy. This summer the county board of supervisors voted to offer property tax rebates to farmers who switch to organic methods.

"Woodbury County hopes to balance large-scale, industrial agriculture with small and midsize organic farms through its tax incentive program. The commissioners said they see plenty of evidence that organic farming not only turns a larger profit on a smaller amount of land than mainstream agriculture, it also employs a significantly larger number of people. They hope to reverse the trend toward fewer farmers working ever-larger farms with expensive machinery, which has led to a population decline and serious, negative consequences for the county."