Iowa - The Overlooked Issue

[NashVegas]

In exit polls, when people were asked about issues that influenced their vote, the shocking thing (IMO) was that the percentage of people for whom Farm Issues was important was a whopping 2%. When they tried to break it down and spread it by candidate, they couldn't even muster 1% for whom it was an influence in voting for any particular one - not even the guy who was attacked for supposedly wanting to do away with the Agriculture department.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3762614&p1=0

There are so many possible ways to interpret this, I don't know what to think:

Are Iowans so worldly that what's going on with their state's farmers is of no significance?

Have the corporations taken over the state farming industry to the point where there are too few farmers to have a voice?

Was the candidates' messages - especially Kucinich & Dean - completely lost upon them?

Are they so broken down about it they just don't care anymore about the independent farmer and see it as a lost cause?

[Melodybe]

1. Cause it is pop culture baby and the average American is too busy

working and taking care of his/her family to give a rats ass. Hear that my fellow Dean people? The unimportant, dare I say trivial, knowledge of the candidate decided this caucus and Dean's PR is for shit!!!! We are ignoring 35 million voters write the campaign DEMAND that they fix it!

[HereSince1628]

2. Only 6 percent of Iowans are in ag production.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/IA.htm

And of those farmers I am guessing 40% dem is being generous so in general one might expect about 2.5% of the caucus goers to be dems.
It doesn't seem that far off.

Although 22% are involved in farm support, marketing, or processing, I am not sure which "farm issues" were on the questionairre.