About 30 patrons of the Hometown Heritage at the Carnegie Library Museum enjoyed a data-rich discussion Saturday when author Neil D. Hamilton outlined his new book, “The Land Remains: A Midwestern Perspective on Our Past and Future.”
Hamilton is an emeritus professor of law at Drake University Law School and a well-known authority on Iowa agriculture and land policy. He directed the Agricultural Law Center at Drake for 36 years prior to his retirement in 2019. He is currently the chair of the Dallas County Soil and Water Conservation District Commission.
In “The Land Remains,” Hamilton weaves his deep technical knowledge of water quality, soil health and natural-resource conservation in with personal reflections on his youth in rural Iowa and his current life with his wife, Khanh, on their 10-acre Sunstead Farm in rural Waukee.
Hamilton deftly brings to life the many legal and policy issues impacting the ways land and water resources are stewarded — and squandered — on Iowa farms. Chapters include accounts of characters such as Don Etler, a Farm Bureau stooge from Palo Alto County who tried to torpedo the North Raccoon River Watershed Management Coalition in 2020 for fear of regulatory mandates on nitrate pollution in the river.
Raised on his family’s 200-acre farm in Adams County, Hamilton studied forestry at Iowa State University before pursuing a law school education at the University of Iowa. His research, writing, teaching and consulting have established him among Iowa’s foremost experts on policies involving farming, rural society, conservation, and land tenure.
Seven lucky attendees at Saturday’s talk received autographed copies of “The Land Remains.”
