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Iowa News You Can Use

WATCH: What can you do about cancer (w/ Dr. Richard Deming) – Cornhole Champions Interview

By Iowa Production Staff

August 22, 2025

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in America, and Dr. Richard Deming has been fighting this crisis for four decades. In this powerful conversation, Iowa’s leading oncologist reveals what you can actually do about it.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, we explore the mortality wake-up call that cancer brings and the simple—though not easy—steps that could save thousands of lives.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 Iowa’s Cancer Crisis: Why We’re Second in America
05:30 The Mortality Wake-Up Call: Cancer Changes Everything
12:00 From Navy Diver to Cancer Fighter: An Unlikely Journey
20:00 Why Screening Saves Lives (But Can Also Harm)
28:00 Iowa’s Two Big Problems: Radon and Farm Chemicals
34:00 The 45% Solution: What We Already Know Works
36:30 Why Smoking Is Still Cancer’s Biggest Killer
42:00 Healthcare Access: The Hidden Cancer Crisis

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CATEGORIES: POLITICS VIDEO
POLITICS VIDEO
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WATCH: When science moves faster than policy (w/ David Cwiertny) – Cornhole Champions Interview

WATCH: When science moves faster than policy (w/ David Cwiertny) – Cornhole Champions Interview

Sometimes the science moves faster than public policy. And it has real impacts on your health.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Orne Smith explores this gap with Dr. David Cwiertny, an environmental engineer at the University of Iowa.

Toss some bags at the science-policy gap… why we find chemicals everywhere we look… and what mass balance means for Iowa’s future.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
0:00 – Welcome: Iowa’s cancer rates and chemical safety evolution
2:30 – Mass Balance Principle: Why chemicals never really disappear
5:00 – Neonicotinoids: The pesticides painted on seeds
8:00 – Atrazine Study Reversal: Same research, opposite conclusions
11:30 – The Science-Policy Gap: 20-year lag between discovery and action
14:00 – Why Simple Answers Don’t Exist for Complex Problems
16:30 – Living in the “Gray Area” of Chemical Safety
18:30 – Alternative Agriculture: Different models, same profitability

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
– YouTube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
– Substack – https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
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… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

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WATCH: 🌽 53 million pounds of pesticides: Iowa’s cancer crisis (PT 2) – Cornhole Champions #34

WATCH: 🌽 53 million pounds of pesticides: Iowa’s cancer crisis (PT 2) – Cornhole Champions #34

53 million pounds. That’s how much pesticide gets sprayed across Iowa every year—more than any other state in the country. With Iowa having the second-highest and fastest-growing cancer rates in America, the science is connecting some uncomfortable dots between what’s in our fields and what’s happening to our neighbors.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith breaks down his investigative reporting on Iowa’s massive pesticide problem. From the Agricultural Health Study tracking 89,000 farming families since 1993 to the “gray zone” between cutting-edge science and outdated regulations, we explore why 17 pounds of pesticides are applied for every single Iowan.

This reporting is part of Iowa Starting Line’s investigative series “The Hotspot”—sign up for the newsletter to get these deep dives straight to your inbox. https://iowastartingline.com/cancer-in-iowa/

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by Zachary Oren Smith and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 – Iowa’s Staggering Pesticide Problem: 53 Million Pounds Annually
01:30 – Iowa’s Cancer Crisis: Second Highest Rates in America
02:30 – 17 Pounds of Pesticides Applied Per Iowa Resident
04:30 – Agricultural Health Study: 89,000 Families Since 1993
06:30 – The “Cancer Gag Act” vs. EPA Approval Controversy
07:30 – The “Gray Zone” Between Science and Policy
10:30 – Company-Funded Studies vs. Independent Research
12:30 – Don Carpenter’s Story: Real People, Real Impact

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
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– Substack – https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
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– PocketCasts – https://pca.st/74atty1j
… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
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