Dem Running for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Says Farming ‘Isn’t That Hard’ and Claims Farmers Barely Work
An old video clip has surfaced showing Democratic Iowa candidate for Secretary of Agriculture, Chris Jones, making controversial remarks. In the 2021 footage, Jones described farmers as wealthy individuals who work only a few weeks a year and claimed many are millionaires, suggesting farming isn’t as demanding as portrayed. These comments drew criticism from his Republican opponent, Mike Naig, who emphasized that farming is hard work deserving of respect. Critics further pointed out that Jones previously called Iowa farmers “wealthy, older white guys” and suggested his platform includes higher taxes on agriculture inputs, new regulations, and opposition to ethanol, implying he aims to reshape the state’s farming industry. Jones is characterized on his campaign site as a water quality advocate and retired water science researcher from the University of Iowa. The controversy highlights tensions surrounding perceptions of farming’s difficulty and attitudes of candidates towards iowa’s agricultural community.
An old video clip has resurfaced to haunt the Democratic candidate for secretary of agriculture in Iowa.
In a 2021 video clip, Chris Jones said farmers are wealthy individuals who do not work very much, according to a video posted to X by Iowa Field Report.
“A lot of this grain farming now, it’s not that hard. They’re only working a few weeks out of the year,” he said.
“These farmers might be industrious, and they might be ingenious, and you know all these other adjectives you want to say about it, but the truth is, you know, a lot of them are millionaires,” Jones added.
New from @IAFieldReport: Iowa Democrat Chris Jones says farming “isn’t that hard” and says Iowa farmers are “only working a few weeks out of the year.”
This is on video. This is who wants to be Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture. 👇 #iapolitics pic.twitter.com/nPeNKWduo9
— Iowa Field Report.com (@IAFieldReport) August 11, 2026
“They’re really wealthy guys. They’re making three times as much as the average Iowan,” he said, before repeating his contention that farmers do not need to work much.
“And a lot of this grain farming now, it’s not that hard. They’re only working a few weeks out of the year,” he said.
Iowa Field Report said that elsewhere in the 2021 interview, Jones called Iowa farmers “wealthy, older white guys.”
The comment brought a response from Republican rival Mike Naig.
“If you think farming ‘isn’t that hard,’ and farmers only work a few weeks a year, you have no business being Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture,” Naig posted on Facebook.
“Iowa farmers deserve respect, not insults,” he said.
Iowa Field Report later posted on Facebook that the comment was “not a one-time slip.”
“Jones has also written that Iowa thanks its farmers ‘at every turn’ like that’s a problem, and posted that farmers who care about their bottom line and their neighbors’ water safety ‘begs for regulation,’” the post said.
“Pair that with a platform that includes higher taxes on ag inputs, new farming mandates, and eliminating ethanol, and you’ve got a candidate who doesn’t just look down on Iowa agriculture — he wants to reshape it,” the post read.
My family has farmed in Iowa since 1836, so I know what hard work looks like.
Iowa farmers work sunup to sundown to feed and fuel the world. Yet radical environmentalist Chris Jones says it “isn’t that hard.”
Insulting Iowa farmers while asking for their votes. Brilliant… https://t.co/rSXa3CezN1
— Jeff Kaufmann (@kaufmannGOP) August 11, 2026
The site for the Scott County Democrats said Jones is a “water quality advocate and former research engineer who retired in 2023 from the University of Iowa’s IIHR (Institute of Hydraulic Research), where he specialized in water science.”
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