CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Marshall County farmer Wade Dooley, a Democrat, announced his campaign for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on Tuesday.

ALBION — Wade Dooley, a sixth-generation farmer from Albion, announced his campaign for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship as a Democrat in a press release issued on Tuesday. Dooley, who operates his family’s Century Farm northwest of Marshalltown and owns a custom seeding and cover crop management business, said he is running to ensure Iowa’s communities, farmers, and small towns have the tools they need to succeed.

“We have so much potential here in Iowa — we have the best soils, the most innovative people, and some of the most advanced technology on the planet. We have communities that, with a little support, could flourish and grow. We have water systems that, with care and effort, can be clean, safe, and fun for all,” said Wade Dooley. “Instead of helping our communities grow and family farms succeed, leadership in Des Moines has been more concerned with helping big businesses and political insiders who are doing just fine. Agriculture is the heart of Iowa’s economy and the communities and families who depend on it deserve a partner who will help them succeed – that’s why I’m running.”

Dooley has been farming since he was 14 years old. A graduate of Iowa State University, he returned home to farm with his father in 2008. Over the past decade and a half, he has focused on improving both profitability and sustainability on his farm, implementing conservation practices including diverse prairie CRP, and oxbow restoration along the Iowa River and using no-till farming and cover crops across all his acres.

Dooley currently serves on six local boards and was recently a board member of Practical Farmers of Iowa, a non-partisan organization focused on farmers helping farmers. Throughout his life, he has always believed in the power of people working together, which has led him to travel extensively across Iowa speaking to local leaders and farmers about the practices that have helped his farm succeed.

As Secretary of Agriculture, Dooley said he will refocus the Department on “listening to Iowa’s farmers and communities” and “creating programming that addresses their actual needs rather than just serving the priorities of big business and political insiders.”

“He will leverage the Department’s personnel, expertise, and resources to scale solutions for small towns that lack resources to implement important programs on their own. And he will bring a practical approach to policy — willing to try new approaches, measure results, and change course when something isn’t working — while working across differences to find common ground and get things done for Iowa,” the release says.

Dooley lives in Marshall County with his wife Jenna, and they are preparing to welcome their first child. For more information about Wade Dooley’s campaign, visit WadeDooley.com or contact info@wadedooley.com.