By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — He calls himself a citizen activist and wants a “small-farm renaissance” in Indiana. Now Steve Bonney, an organic farmer from West Lafayette, is well on his way to joining the race for governor of Indiana.

“I think (my chances) are good. First of all, people are fed up with the political system and they’re looking for new faces. Collectively, we’re not getting what we want out of our government,” Bonney said. “I want an open government and I think we’ve gotten away from that. I think we need to start refocusing our policy based on what people want.”

Bonney’s campaign has already gathered more than half of the 32,742 signatures required to put him on the ballot as an Independent in November, and he plans to run on a platform that revolves around property tax reform, transparent government, community development and protecting the
environment.

“Politicians often tend to offer solutions in itty bitty pieces, but these things need solved simultaneously in one big package,” he said.

Starting with homesteads and farmer-owned agricultural land, he’d like to repeal the property tax and instead fund local governments and schools with a graduated income tax.

“It’s not a simple thing to solve the tax problem,” Bonney said. “I’m not a politician, so I don’t make promises, but this is an important issue to farmers and homeowners in the state.”
Since 1991, Bonney has been the president of Sustainable Earth, a not-for profit organization that promotes family farming in Indiana. He’s also is the owner of an organic fruit farm in Greene County. If elected governor, he said supporting small farmers would be a priority.

“There are about 60,000 farms in Indiana and two-thirds of them are small. I think their potential has been overlooked. They’re too small to participate in commodity agriculture, but they can participate in local food systems,” he said.

Bonney is opposed to the proposed Interstate 69 Extension, which would destroy 5,000 acres of forests and farmland, and said it’s time to get past “just paying lip service to farmland preservation.”
But, when it comes to some other hot topics in the agricultural community, like the food-versus-fuel debate and the establishment of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), Bonney said there are no easy answers. While he believes biofuel has a place in solving the energy crisis, he thinks there needs to be a balance between the use of crops for fuel and food. He is also an advocate of energy conservation.

“I don’t see anybody talking about reducing the demand (for fossil fuels),” he said. “But we’ve got to start using less fuel and driving less.”

Bonney doesn’t advocate a ban on CAFOs, but called for a moratorium on new facilities in order for communities to “get some breathing room and reach consensus.” He noted the establishment of CAFOs has divided many rural communities and created a great deal of animosity, especially against out-of-state operations setting up shop in Indiana.

“Agricultural and rural development and urban sprawl are all going to continue, so we need to have a strong dialogue (about CAFOs),” he stated.

Preserving the environment is another cornerstone of his campaign. Citing a Forbes story that ranked Indiana 49th of the 50 states when it comes to environmental quality, the candidate vowed to address lax environmental regulations that causes pollution and prevents Indiana from attracting clean and green businesses.
Bonney holds a master’s degree in life sciences and served six years of active and reserve duty in the Army Chemical Corps during the Vietnam War. He and his wife of 41 years, Patty, have two children and four grandchildren. Aside from being a farmer, he has worked as a college instructor and department head, salesman, project manager and small business owner and manager.

For more information, visit Bonney’s website at www.bonneyforgov.com

This farm news was published in the May 7, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.