FAIRFIELD, IOWA -- He is one of the most influential speakers in the country when it comes to the topic of agriculture, and on Wednesday night, Jim Hightower spoke at the annual meeting of the Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors.

Hightower has worn many hats throughout his lifetime, from being a legislative aid to former Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough, to being elected the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture from 1983-1991. However, now Hightower hits the airwaves and travels across the country, spreading his message.

“Too many of those at the top have decided that they can take care of their own good fortunes and not worry about the welfare of the many and that is not what America is about. America is about, we are all in this together,” Hightower said.

Hightower is no stranger to southeast Iowa. His message is one heard loud and clear, especially to members of the Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors organization, and their dislike of CAFO facilities.

“I have been in Iowa off and on, in and out for a long, long time. I have got a lot of friends here and feel the spirit of the people who are very grass roots, and that is what I believe in. I do not believe in top down, I believe in percolate up,” Hightower said.

Hightower believes that the political spectrum has changed over the last 30 years; and he does not see it as right to left anymore, instead he sees a top down approach.

“The powers that be try to put us in these little boxes, you know, you are a liberal, you are a conservative, you are a right winger, you are a left winger, you are this, you are that; but that is all theory, that is not reality. Most people including me are a mix of politics, so to me the real political spectrum is not that right to left conservative to liberal, but top to bottom; because that is where we live, that is our zip codes. You know, you could measure it there, there are those who are in the penthouses and some further down, some in the middle and some in the basement, all the way down,” Hightower said.

As he continues to spread his message, Hightower hopes that many around the country will continue to see what America really is.

“The many are being stomped on by the few and again, that is not what America represents. Our deepest values of economic fairness, social justice, equal opportunity for all people, that is what America really is; that is why we are a beacon to the world, and if we throw that aside, then we are just another place in the world,” Hightower said.