10/15/2026
We have three candidates running for the Soil & Water Conservation Commissioner positions on the ballot for this November election. You can see the short bio's of all three of the candidates below.
Mike White:
Mike is 72 years old has been married to his wife Deb for 49 years. They have three married daughters and five grandchildren. Mike has lived in Indianola since 1984. He has an AS degee from Iowa Western Community College along with a BS and MS degree from ISU.
After working for the Soil Conservation Service his first 5 years after college he then worked in several positions as an agronomist in Iowa Ag industry. Mike retired from ISU Extension in 2019 after serving 25 years as an agronomist.
Mike has spent his retirement years helping his son-in-law farm in Taylor County Iowa along with volunteering at the Iowa State Fair and the Street Collective community bicycle shop located in the East Village of Des Moines.
Mike is running for his third 4-year term as a Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioner.
Emily McCauley:
Emily is a local artist, insurance professional, and gardener. She has lived in Warren county for 40+ years and believes you can't have commUNITY without UNITY. Emily is multi-faceted and multi-talented with experience including leadership, teamwork, communication and volunteerism.
Emily was raised by a farmer's daughter and graduated from Norwalk High school. As a gardener for 20+ years she values the quality of our community's soil and water, knowing it is the foundation of our health and quality of life. She connects people, resources and the dots to improve the community. She is excited for the opportunity to serve her community, working together to encourage the science and art of natural resource conservation.
Emily has board member experience as the publicity chair for the Ashworth Credit Union. Plus various leadership roles in the International Toastmasters organization serving both at the club level and distrct (all of Iowa) level as district website director, social media chair, club President (led local club to distinguished designation), VP, and VP of public relations.
For the last 13 years, Emily has maintained a property and casualty producer license in over 40 states. She is an account manager at Career General Agency aka CGA Insurance Services were she loves to save her customers money and educate them on how their personal insurance coverages protect their assets.
Emily feels her dynamic leadership experiences, passions, and talents make her qualified for the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation Commissioner position.
Emily's goal is to be the change she wishes to see and she would appreciate your vote this November 3rd.
Dan Bailey:
My name is Dan Bailey and I'm running for Warren County Soil and Water Conservation Commissioner. My wife Carol and I have lived in Warren County (Indianola) since 1986. We raised our two children, Joe and Katie, here - both attended Indianola Public Schools. The outdoors and environment have long been my interests beginning in my early years growing up on the farm. From there I went on to receive a BS Degree in Forestry, from Michigan Technological University, and MS Degree in Soil Science, from Michigan State University.
I will bring a lifetime of professional experience to the table. My career began as a Soil Scientist with the USDA Soil Conservation Service. I classified and mapped soils for the National Soil Survey. I also worked with soil nitrification inhibitors as a means to improve nitrogen fertilizer efficiency in corn and reduce nitrate loss through leaching and runoff into surface waters. The majority of my career has been in the seed industry as an agronomist working with farmers across central and southern Iowa. I also started a small seed business in 2004, AgVenture ProLine Genetics LLC.
I am personally committed to effective resource management for future generations and protecting our environment. I have been using no-till and cereal rye cover crop on my own farm...learning the best managment practices to make the sytem work.
I would be proud to serve as Soil and Water Conservation Commissioner and would appreciate your vote in the upcoming general election.
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